Fushigi Yuugi: The Alternate Story Again
by fuzzypoo
Summary: An alternative version of the Fushigi Yuugi story. This story comes before 'Return'.
1. Chapter 0: Disclaimer

Again

_**Again...**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Disclaimer

Fushigi Yugi: The Alternate Story (or TAS as we call it) has been a labor of love for many people. The story has a history and it's one you need to be aware of before you begin to read.

The story began as a livejournal roleplaying game that is still in progress. Anyone who has played a game like this knows what usually happens. Time passes, players drop off, the story becomes complicated and you can't find new people to jump in. TAS was not immune to this and has been restarted several times. It's also gone through a few different mods. This version of the game began 08 December 2005.

When we restarted the game for what our current moderator and I determined should be 'The Last Time' I asked if I could turn what we'd done into story format. I had created Return as a sequel to how we thought the game would end but since the end never came, I felt a little bit cheated.

I asked several players (those I could get in touch with, many are no longer around) if they had a problem with this and they did not. With moderator permission and years of game playing to go through, I began the quest to turn TAS into a story.

The story has been HEAVILY edited from its original, game-played version. People write differently and I tried to bring a bit of balance to these styles. Bits of story that went nowhere or were unimportant were removed; existing storylines were altered to match up with later actions.

In no way is the entire story exactly as it appeared in the game.

For this reason, this is not **my** story. I am not really the author and the words are not my own. I did play some of the characters but I am not the game. Credit to all the game players is listed below.

TAS was reset, which means the game never did reach a conclusion. At this point I will be working with a few remaining game players to come up with an ending. Hopefully this will also let all of you who are enjoying Return understand what happened before.

If you are going to comment on Again (TAS), I'm still happy to have your comments. The only thing I ask you not to do is compliment my writing style. At present, these are the words of other people and I'm merely an editor and participant in the writing process. Comments are always appreciated, but I just wanted to make it clear that I am not the only author writing this one and any praise should be directed to **The Players** instead.

And now, without further ado, I want to thank them for their participation and provide credit to them as follows:

**The Players**

_To whom all credit is owed_

fluteboy

silveradept

yukimiaka

ceruleanmiko

maskedonenoda

keisukeniichan

24hourshades

royalvanity

amazonofice

tamahome

suboshi

ruochuin

tamahomekun

chichirichan

nurikotears

tasukinobaka

koujibandit

nakagoblue

thedemonneko

ashitarekun

havocshogun

revenantfiend

(As I continue going through the game history and editing this list will be expanded upon)

_Special credit is owed to…_

Kat: For taking on more characters than I'd know what to do with and bringing a unique voice to each one.

Heather: For playing muse and keeping the action going.

Me: 'Cause editing takes a long time… TT

…and last but not least my dearest Nikki, without whom the fic would not be possible


	2. Chapter 1

Again

_**Again...**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Konan Country; afternoon

It was a pleasant day in Konan today. It was the type of weather that really made Ri Houjun want to go fishing. There was a nice breeze and a general calm atmosphere as he rode towards the capital city. This was one of the good points of not using a transportation spell: he actually obtained a feel for the land and could reflect on nature, no matter what the purpose of the travel was.

Behind the smiling mask, he frowned a little. Something... was going to happen. Soon. It was almost tangible. Every so often he glanced down at his knee where there was his celestial sign. But the thoughts of a priestess and great trouble for Konan weighed down his thoughts to the point where he almost felt physically heavier. He tried to push away mere speculations as he came within view of the huge city. He'd come down from the mountains to try to gather information about anything that might be happening. Hopefully the Emperor would be willing to talk, or some other high advisor.

Haku Kaen stepped from her boat, on to the sea-tossed shore. The beach was a slim strand of sand, decorated with drift wood and rumpled piles of deep green seaweed. Bemused, she knelt for a moment, taking a pinch of sand in her fingers, and then curiously sniffed it. The sand was just a little different from her island home, the color just a bit darker. It smelled different as well.

Brushing the sand from her fingers, on to her skirt, she straightened back up. She couldn't remember being taken from the mainland, but she wanted to remember every detail of her return. This quest of hers would become a story, perhaps a song, to tell the other Amazons when she returned. She had decided that there was no option but success and return to the island; she would do as she was told and find her peace.

Thunder growled over the sea behind her. It wouldn't be long until the storm crashed on to the shore, at it looked to be a strong one. She didn't want to wait to be soaked by it; it wouldn't hurt her, but it would be an annoying, soggy start to an epic journey.

Up ahead, there were lights dotting between a few dark trees. _Probably a fisherman's village._ She picked her pack up from the boat and slung it from one shoulder, her bow and quiver over the other, her sword swinging at her left hip, and began to walk. The boat, she paid no attention to. It had barely held together during the journey. Let the sea gods have it.

She reached the village just in time. It was too small to have a traveler's inn or anything of that nature, and the people looked at her warily. When the rain began to pelt down, she took shelter under slim cover of one hut's roof. The door was to her right, and from there she heard a noise. When she turned to look, a young boy was watching her with big eyes. A moment later, his father appeared. He looked her up and down, the wary assessment of a possible threat, not the look of a man with other thoughts on his mind. Satisfied by whatever he saw, he nodded and beckoned for her to come in.

Silently, he gave her a small bowl of warm, thin soup, and then sat. Bemused, she sat across from him, waiting for him to speak.

"From Nyosei?" the man asked. She nodded in answer, and he continued. "I thought so. You've got the look of it about you. If you want to weather the storm here, you're more than welcome. All I ask is that you bring us down a bird or two when it's done. I've never seen someone handier with a bow than you lady warriors."

It seemed fair enough, if he was planning to feed her and let her sleep. While she had a bit of the ingrained disdain for men that all Amazons carried with them, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. It was obvious from the state of his house that his wife was dead or left, so he was trying to care for his son, keep house, and feed them all on his own. Considering men were incompetent at best, he wasn't doing as bad as she would have thought. She didn't mind helping him. "I agree," she said. "Can you tell me... where have I landed?"

"We call our village Silver Sea, since the waves are normally silver with fish," the man said. "But this year, the fish seem pretty scarce. I apologize for not being able to feed you better."

"Don't give it a second thought. It's my bad taste for dropping in so unexpectedly," she said, as if they were old friends. It was courtesy, something she dimly remembered from her childhood. "But I mean... what country are we in?"

"Sometimes Kutou, sometimes Konan. I think it's Konan right now... you can never tell what borders the big men have drawn on maps, with their raids and counter-raids. But from what I hear, Kutou is attacking often these days, so the answer may change at any moment," the man said, then shrugged. "They mostly ignore us, and we like it that way." He took her bowl from her and gave her a bit more soup, though his son watched hungrily.

She took the bowl. It would be impolite to refuse, to say that he couldn't provide for his son. She'd bring them a few birds tomorrow. "Thank you."

"By the way, my name is Tsing Goro."

"Haku Kaen."

"Thank you for accepting my humble hospitality, Haku Kaen. If I may ask, where are you headed? I might be able to help you find a good path."

"I haven't figured that out quite yet," she said. "But I will choose soon." It really wasn't much of a choice. She needed to find her peace in Kutou, find that fallen angel and exact her vengeance. But the idea filled her with a strange thrill of fear, and she didn't want to speak of it quite yet. Better to accept the comfort of a warm, simple house for a night, without those thoughts darkening her mind.

She turned to look out the open doorway, drawn by the sharp chill suddenly in the wind, and the smell of rain and sea. The storm lashed the trees.

Kaen did not leave Silver Sea the next day, as she had intended, or the day after that. She woke in the dark before dawn, and quietly picked up her bow and quiver. She had promised herself that she would bring in some food. So she went into the misty morning to hunt. She brought down two wild pheasants with one arrow each, and paused for a drink in a stream and to eat some wild mushrooms she had found before heading back.

The sun had burned all of the mists off by the time she returned to the village. It was already humming with activity, the fishermen bringing in their rather poor catch, while the children hunted in the nearby woods for vegetables and mushrooms. The women were tending their communal garden. At first, all seemed right with the world.

Then Kaen noticed that there was a commotion down at the shore. She stowed the two birds in Goro's empty hut and headed down that way, more curious than anything else. When she arrived, Goro stumbled out of the sea, spilling his son out of his arms and onto the beach. Tears ran down his face as he desperately pressed the water from the boy's lungs. A great wave of relief went through the gathered crowd as the boy took in a few choked breaths.

Goro looked up, his face grey with fear, though there was an odd hint of relief in his eyes as he caught sight of Kaen. She pushed her way through the assembled villagers and helped him gather the boy up, then carry him back to the hut.

Amazons might not care for men, but they cared for children, and boy children were no exception. Kaen made it her duty to watch over the boy while his father was fishing, or cooking, only leaving Goro in charge when she went out to hunt in the morning.

Things didn't look good. While the boy breathed, his breath soon made a terrible burbling sound, like he hadn't brought up all the water. He burned with a fever and could only be woken long enough to drink thin broth and a little water. And soon he began to cough, great racking coughs that shook his entire body and produced vile black mucus from deep in his chest.

Normally, caring for the sick was the task for the older Amazons, not the young warriors. But no one else would take care of the boy. As soon as it became known that he had a fever, no one would come near the house, or Kaen, or Goro. There was no herbalist in the village, and no doctor nearby that could be fetched.

After three days, Kaen returned in the morning with another two pheasants, and found Goro weeping over his son. She put the birds down. "Has he died?" she asked bluntly.

Goro shook his head. "No, but I'm afraid he will soon. His fever burns as hot as ever, and he barely recognized me when I woke him to feed him this morning. If only we had a doctor!"

Kaen barely hesitated. From the moment she'd arrived on Nyosei, she'd had it drilled in to her that it was the first duty of an Amazon to protect her own people, and her second to protect women and helpless children outside of Nyosei. "Where is the nearest village that has a doctor, or a medicine shop?" she asked. "I can carry him there."

"I think if we move him now, he will die," Goro said. "I... I don't want to ask this of you..."

"You don't have to," Kaen said. "I'm offering."

"This area has few villages. We are very isolated. But... the capital city of Konan, Eiyou, is five days from here by wagon. Jin may not last that long, but... the best doctors in all of our land are there."

"Do you have a map?" Kaen asked.

Goro tore his hut apart, looking for the map. It was a poor excuse for one when he found it, but it gave her an idea of where she needed to go. Once she got close to the capital, others would be able to give her directions easily if she became lost. "This is the trade road," Goro said, pointing out a rough line. It wandered across the map, following the easy path rather than the shortest one.

Kaen nodded. She slung her bow back over her shoulder, and fastened her sword to her back. It was easier to run that way. She found a small pouch, and put some rice and a bottle of water in it. "Then I will return in five days."

"Five days? Didn't you hear what I said? It'll take at least that long to walk there!" Goro said, though now there was a hectic gleam of hope in his eyes.

"You have been very kind to me," Kaen said, as if that were some sort of answer. "And I'm not going to walk." Without bothering to say goodbye, she left the hut, and then walked out of the village. Once she was on level ground, she began to run.

It wasn't that running didn't exhaust her; it did. But her training as a warrior, running up and down mountains in a single night, had taught her to continue on, swift and sure, despite her fatigue. She slept only a few hours in the early morning, and ate her rice and drank her water sparingly. If she ate or drank too much, her stomach would cramp.

In the early morning of the third day, she caught sight of the city's lights, right before dawn. Grimly, she forced her aching legs to continue moving. She was nearly there. Then she could find medicine, rest a few hours, and head back. She would be sick and weak for days, even weeks afterwards, but she could do it.

Her fatigue and her absolute focus on the goal and nothing else were nearly her undoing. At the very outskirts of the city, where the poor and the ruffians gathered, someone threw a rock at her. She felt it coming at the last moment; that was the only reason it struck her heavily in the shoulder, instead of the back of the head. She went tumbling down in a heap, then rolled to her feet as quickly as she could, her sword coming to her hand. She felt slow and terrible tired. Now that she had stopped running so suddenly, her muscles trembled, and her sword felt like lead.

Still, she tightened her grip on the sword and forced it to hold steady as the man who had thrown the rock approached. It was obvious that he was a bandit, from his shabby clothes and bad teeth. He had four friends with him, all of them leering in a way that made her burn with fury.

"Brave for five of you to take on a woman. If you want to make it fair, I'll wait here while you go get a few more friends," she taunted.

"Quiet, honey," the leader said. "Why don't you just lie down, and we'll treat you nice."

"I'll kill you first!"

The leader laughed at her words, and two of the other men rushed toward her. She dodged to one side, whipping her sword up and around. With a silver hiss, it separated the head of one of the bandits from his shoulders. She twisted to avoid the knife of the other, but she was too slow, and too tired. His knife sliced a long line of searing pain from her shoulder to her elbow. She stumbled back a step, then lunged forward, her word coming down in a graceful arc that cut the knife from the man's hand. He leaped back with a scream, clutching his hand, blood running from between his fingers.

Kaen lunged forward, extending as far as she could to catch the retreating man across the stomach. With a despairing howl, he went down to the ground, rolling and clutching at his stomach. Before she could attack again, a heave rock struck her in the leg. She fell to one knee with a cry, then stumbled back to her feet, her vision sparkling with pain.

Somehow, she jumped back to a more defensible position, holding her sword at the ready once more. Blood from her wound flowed freely down her arm, making her grip on the hilt slippery. As tired as she was, she couldn't afford the fatigue that came with blood loss. Her left leg throbbed and ached; she wouldn't be able to attack swiftly again.

The three remaining bandits pulled back a little, whispering amongst themselves, readying for another attack. Kaen waited grimly. She couldn't use her bow now, she couldn't run to attack, and if she wasn't mistaken, there was a man approaching that was probably another bandit. Hopefully Goro would believe that she had fallen in battle like this, not that she had run away. As she waited for the next attack to come, her breath hissing between her teeth with pain, she whispered a quiet prayer for the boy that she had been trying to save.

The other man approaching was not another bandit, however, but a lone masked monk who had left the city temporarily to find some calm. The city was so loud after three years of near solitude in the mountains.

When he noticed the woman in danger, he ran to her aid. Without hesitation, he struck one of the three remaining men. Not dead, of course, he wasn't out to kill people like Kaen did, but a solid whack into the stomach with his staff knocked the man unconscious.

"Stay back and leave her alone. This is no way to treat a woman, no da," he added, taking a firm protective stance in front of her. He'd give them the chance to escape before he cast a few spells.

For a moment, Kaen felt a thrill of absolute relief that the stranger was going to help her. Then her Amazon pride flared up. She didn't need a man helping her. She couldn't possibly be that weak, could she?

The absolute frustration that thought caused gave her a surge of strength. And the man in front of her gave her the breathing room for archery. With a growl, she spiked her sword into the ground and painfully brought her bow off of her shoulder, quickly stringing it.

The two bandits didn't seem to know what to do about the man. In the moment that they hesitated, preparing to attack again, Kaen drew her bow, an arrow ready. It sent a fresh wash of blood running down her arm, but she had the strength for one good shot. She took a deep breath, and as she exhaled, she let the arrow fly.

It took the man who had been the leader through the eye. He let out a surprised gurgle and dropped like a stone. The last of the men lost his nerve and ran, shrieking.

For a moment, Kaen wondered if she could summon the strength to fire one more arrow. Then a wave of dizziness overtook her, and her knees gave way. She fell heavily to her knees on the rocky ground. Black specks danced in front of her eyes, and she couldn't seem to hear anything beyond a high-pitched shrill in her ears. With shaking fingers, she unstrung her bow, and then groped for her sword. It needed to be cleaned.

The monk, Houjun, was more than surprised to have an arrow whizzing past him, and to see one man fall and the other flee. Houjun figured she must be an Amazon, but that didn't mean that he was just going to let her push herself like this. Pride was one thing, stupidity another.

"Ne, rest, why don't you? You're wounded badly. I won't ask for much, but stay still for a second, no da!" he pleaded merrily, somehow managing to pull it off at this time. It was his talent to always smile, after all.

And if she didn't, he'd be forced to use a spell on her, too. He wasn't too happy about forcing people into things, and didn't want to injure her pride, but he'd be the jerk if it meant saving her life.

It felt like any strength she'd ever had simply drained out of her. Kaen tried to pull her sword out of the ground, and failed miserably between her hand slipping on the tacky blood on the hilt and her complete lack of strength. She cursed under her breath, lettering her hand fall to her side. Her wounded shoulder throbbed, as did her leg, which was really not happy to have her weight on it. With an embarrassing, pained moan, she shifted to one side, resting her weight on her good hip.

She shook her head. "I need to find a doctor," she said, her voice sounding very faint to her own ears. She looked up at the man, who seemed to be talking, but she couldn't make out any words over the ringing in her ears. "I need to find a doctor, for Jin," she said again more loudly. That was what she was here for, wasn't it? She was having a hard time thinking straight, but she could focus on that. "Jin needs a doctor." Why was she repeating herself like this?

Kaen shook her head, feeling very stupid and confused with the world. And why on earth was that man smiling at her like that?

Houjun paused. She could try to smack him for what he was about to try, but he figured he didn't have the strength. He went to her side to help support her, trying to lead her towards the town. She should be glad he didn't knock her out and carry her in.

"Of course you need a doctor..." he said, but was a little surprised to see she was trying to find a doctor for someone else. "Jin, who's Jin?" he asked in concern. He had to know what was happening to help, after all, and he did want to help.

Even if the smiling mask disconcerted her, it was better than the scar.

Being pulled back up to her feet and moved only served to confuse Kaen more. She was more concerned about her sword; it was still sticking from the ground, and she didn't want to leave it behind. She'd worked so hard to earn it. Pushing away from the man (when had he grabbed her, and shouldn't she be more upset?) she reached for the sword. A misstep on a rock sent pain shooting up through her leg.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back, it seemed. The high pitched whine in her ears became a roar, and the dark specks that had been dancing before her eyes swallowed her vision completely. She fought off the tide of darkness and vertigo with all she had, but it wasn't nearly enough. Finally, she said, her tone rather puzzled now, "But, Jin..." Then she slowly went limp, her weight going dead against the man.

He caught her form and carefully picked her up -- and her sword and other effects. He wasn't going to leave anything behind so she could be mad at him later.

"Careful, no da," he whispered, not sure if she could hear him. "I'll take you to a doctor and once you're healed, we'll go help Jin," he promised. After all, he could teleport them wherever they needed to go. She just needed to get better first.

He entered the town slowly, weighed down by the burden of the woman, and took her to the nearest doctor he knew. While the doctor worked, he, standing to the side, silently imparted some of his chi to help her. He hoped she would wake up soon.

She woke up by inches, her wounds and her tired muscles throbbing in time with her heartbeat. There was a strange fog in her head, however, that stood between her and the pain. She could feel it, but she just couldn't bring herself to care over much. Strange smells tickled at her nose. This definitely wasn't where she'd last been, in battle with the bandits.

Kaen sat up as quickly as she could, which was, in fact, very slowly. She looked around. It was obviously a doctor's shop, the apothecary in front, and her on a padded table in the back. The doctor was an older gentleman with a long, white moustache, and the other man stood beside him, the one she seemed to remember helping her.

It just got worse and worse. A man had helped her and now another one had healed her. She looked down at the lacings on her skirts and tunic. If they'd seen her in a state of undress, she'd have to cut out their eyes in vengeance.

The special knots she'd tied into the lacings were undisturbed, however. It seemed that they had showed her that much respect, at least. More than she'd ever expected out of any man. They were all savages, after all.

Relieved, Kaen looked up at both of the men. She touched her wounded shoulder, feeling a thick bandage. There was another wrapped around her leg, this one damp. Her wounds were taking care of, at least, but no amount of herbs could touch the utter exhaustion that still filled her, and probably would for days. "My sword," she said, her voice hoarse and tired, "Where is it?"

Houjun wasn't an idiot and did not intend to do anything to insult the Amazon... well, except for being a male who saved her, but that much he couldn't help. If he had any doubt that she was an Amazon before, the fact that the first thing she did was ask for her sword confirmed it.

He smiled a bit behind his mask, so it was sort of a pointless thing, since he looked to be smiling already. "It's right over there, no da. How do you feel now?" he asked in concern. The sword was leaning upright in the corner, cleaned of its blood.

Was he not supposed to do that? Too bad, he didn't want the blood to dry on it.

Part of her wanted to be upset that a man had touched her sword. At the same time, she had to admit that she would be more upset if he'd left it out on the battlefield, and it would have been bad to have left the blood on it. So she settled on slightly annoyed. "I'm fine," she said. In spite of her words, she was very slow and careful when she slid off of the table. It hurt to stand up, a lot, but she managed to do it. "And... I guess I ought to say 'thank you' as well. So... thank you. I didn't need the help, you realize, but it was very...  
courteous of you."

She limped slowly over to her sword and picked it up, examining it. It looked alright. She put it back in its sheath, and then turned to look at the doctor and the strange man, who were watching her. It made her very uncomfortable – it was just so weird to be around men to begin with, and she knew from experience that as friendly as they might seem, it was only a matter of time until they did something bad. She didn't want to show her nervousness, though, so she forced herself to straighten up and put on a chilly, regal expression.

In a way, the strange man had done her a favor. He'd brought her to a doctor, and probably a decent one. She could see about getting the medicine for Jin. How she'd pay for it - and how she'd get back to Silver Sea, so injured that a mere walk was taxing - she'd worry about later.

It wasn't really worth asking for their names, she supposed. "I need medicine," she said. "I've come on behalf of a child. He has a fever and is coughing up black... slime from his lungs." She looked at the two men, expectantly.

The doctor looked almost appalled at her lack of respect and abruptness.

Houjun nodded at her reply. He didn't want to make a big deal out of saving her, after all. It was just the right thing to do, whether it had been her or anyone else. The last thing he wanted, of course, was an Amazon's hatred, so he let her attitude slide.

And it was a good thing that he was there to play diplomat with the doctor, too. The old man looked appalled, confused, and a bit upset. But Kaen looked to be doing a good thing, so that meant that, once again, she would get Houjun's help. Whether or not she wanted it.

"Ah, doctor, I'm sure you know what she's talking about, considering her very descriptive description, right?" He said with his smile. The doctor nodded slowly. "Great! Then why don't you prepare the medicine, no da! We'll wait here. Thank you, sir!" he called as the old man went to the apothecary area and gathered some drugs.

Now Houjun and Kaen were alone, and hopefully it'd be less insulting for her to have only one man concerned about her. "Are you really alright, no da? And where's Jin at?" So he could prepare a proper means of transportation. Yes, he was going out of his way a little bit, but it was his job to help people, and he'd do his best.

Kaen leaned against the wall, though she tried to make it look more like she was posing and less like she felt like her legs were going to give out. She wanted to be standing if she was going to have to speak with this person.

"Your concern is commendable, I'm sure," she said, rather frostily, "but I am just fine, thank you." In fact, she wasn't fine at all. She was upset, she was terribly thirsty, all of her muscles ached, and she was hungry besides. Now that she had been immobile, all of the complaints of her overtaxed body were catching up with her. It was annoying, and it made her despair ever getting back to the village on time.

"Jin is in a village his people call Silver Sea," she said, her tone flat. "Or at least he was two days ago. For all I know, he's dead now." But she had to try, and that was the point. She felt like kicking herself. Why was she even telling this man anything? And she really, really wished he would stop smiling. It wasn't the sort of smile that heralded an attack (and that thought alone made her shudder), but it was still making her damn nervous. It made her wonder what he was hiding from her, and what he was planning on doing to her. Her left hand, down by her side because it was too painful to move it much, trembled.

Houjun didn't believe her for a second. But he didn't push about her health right now, because it was clear she didn't want him to, and it was better to focus on helping the boy and keep an eye on her from more of a distance. The only response was a slightly frustrated sigh.

He nodded, "I've heard of the Silver Sea. Good fishing there, or there used to be, no da. It sounds like you don't have any time to waste, and I'd like to help Jin. I'm a monk, and I've studied magic. I can teleport us there, no da." If she was adverse to teleporting, which was logical since it wasn't the most normal means of transportation, he'd obtain horses for them. Key word being them. Houjun wanted to help people, and this boy was someone who needed help.

For a long moment, Kaen hesitated, torn between her pride, hostility toward men, and the genuine wish to help the boy. She didn't want to admit that she could use this man's help, and she didn't want to have to place any trust in him at all. It helped a little when he said that he was a monk - because most monks were celibate. But she'd also heard enough stories about corrupt, terrible monks that she couldn't just accept it easily.

And yet...

And yet, Jin needed help. And it shamed her deeply, but she wouldn't be able to help him with the state she was in now. She was exhausted, and too injured. All of it probably her own fault - she hadn't paid enough attention. And now she was in the untenable position of having to accept the help of a man. Oh, but it grated, and it made her feel unworthy of the title 'Amazon warrior.'

Kaen gritted her teeth. It was a hard-learned lesson, but her pride wasn't as important as protecting the life of a child. "Perhaps that would be best," she said. She opened her mouth, almost admitting that she was too tired to continue on her own, but quickly shut it again. "Thank you, Monk," she finished lamely.

Really, what she most wanted to do was to yell at him to please, for the love of all that was holy, stop smiling at her! There wasn't any reason to smile! She was a fierce, battered Amazon, and she certainly didn't want to be his friend. Yet the crankier she became, the more friendly and helpful he got. It was going beyond worrisome to downright irritating and bizarre.

Then, to her deep shame, her stomach growled.

"I think you're right, no da," he replied with a nod. He grinned behind the mask when her stomach growled. She needed food, and now he had an excuse to bring it up.

"We should get Jin some food, too," he said, using Jin to mean that she'd get some, too, of course. The doctor came in with the medicine and Chichiri began to search through his pockets for money. Of course, being a monk didn't pay much.

Kaen's cheeks immediately flushed with embarrassment. Now this man was trying to pay for her! It never ended, it really didn't!

...but even worse, she didn't actually have any money. If only she'd been well enough to loot the corpses of the bandits after she'd killed them.

She limped forward as quickly as she could, still leaning heavily against the wall. She reached into the neck of her tunic when she was near the doctor, undoing the red thread that held the amulet the eldest Amazon in Nyosei had given her. It was a horrible reflection on her to give it up, but it was made of gold and a bit of jade, and would cover the cost of the medicine. She pulled it out from beneath her collar and held it out to the doctor, unable to watch him take it.

Only a few days out of Nyosei, and she was already making a mess of things.

It felt horrible watching her give that up. The doctor was eager enough to take anything valuable, but Houjun saw Kaen's hesitancy.

That wouldn't do.

"I have some coins that will cover it, no da," he offered. "I'm not so attached to my money," was his way of explanation, in an almost-squeaky nervous voice. He had a feeling she wasn't going to like further help, but his money meant less to him than that jewelry did to her.

Wasn't he just way too nice?

Again, Kaen hesitated, unsure of what to do. Then, she pulled the pendant away from the doctor and thrust it at the monk instead. It seemed like the only way to save any face at all, and keep from losing her most important possession. "I will buy it back from you soon," she said, her voice harsh.

Her eyes were filled with pleading, though. She tried to remain stern and strong, but she was too tired, and far too upset. _Please,_ she silently asked him, _please take it. Please let me buy it back from you. Let me have this much of my honor back._

He paused for a second, blinking behind his mask. But after a second's hesitation, he took the pendant. "Whatever you say, no da," he said cheerfully.

He paid the doctor what he was owed and, with a smile as always, gave him thanks as well. He offered the package of medicine to Kaen to hold. "Ready to go, no da?"

His cheerfulness was not annoying in the least, and very well-intentioned.

Kaen nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She had just taken a big risk. There was no way to know if this man would demand something other than money in payment. He really didn't seem the type...

But hey, she thought bitterly, angels fell all the time. Men couldn't be trusted. They were savages.

Rather than speak, she took the medicine, and carefully got her gear strapped back on. It was a slow and humiliating process, with the way the bandage and the wound limited her range of arm motion. But she got ready without complaint. She'd already made herself look weak enough, no need to make it worse.

When she was done, she nodded to the monk to let him know that she was ready. She tried not to think about how she'd be trailing after him, like a pathetic, lost puppy.

...and he was still smiling.

Houjun remained silent as she gathered her things. Nodding once more in thanks to the doctor, he left the shop and headed to the place he was staying. He'd carry out the transportation spell in the safety of his room. Since he was staying in a combination hotel and restaurant, he also picked up some food from the owner before he led the way upstairs towards his room.

He didn't notice, nor would he have acknowledged, the sort of looks the old man gave Kaen.

"You can have something to eat if you want to, no da," he said cheerfully, opening up his door. "I'll make the preparations for the spell, and then we will be on our way, no da."

Kaen became more nervous with each passing moment, following behind the monk to his rented room. As the monk bought food in the restaurant downstairs, the day became dark. Clouds rapidly blotted out the sun, rumbling with thunder, and a cold breeze began to blow. It reflected her mood well, she thought. It was strangely appropriate.

As they approached the monk's room, her worry peaked, and blue spears of lightning began to streak through the dark clouds. She stopped outside the open door and shook her head, taking a step back, and then another, until her back landed against the wall. The temperature of the hallway dropped a bit, and she shivered, hugging her arms against her stomach. "I'm not going in there," she said, looking toward the stairs.

Houjun felt the shift in the air and an unusual force he couldn't name. He watched her warily, but of course his mask gave no indication to his sudden concern and unease.

"What's the matter, no da? Teleportation is the fastest way to help Jin," he said in a quiet tone. Color him innocent, because he wasn't fathoming her fear at the moment. He just knew she was afraid, and that she had power from something he'd rather not try to name.

"I'm sure it is," Kaen said, keeping her tone very even. "But I am not going in there." She wondered if she could reach her sword in her exhausted state before he could attempt to cast any strange magic on her. This had been a mistake. She never should have placed any trust in the smiling monk-y.

A flash of blue lightning danced across the clouds just outside the window. Even though she knew she should be watching the monk carefully, she couldn't help but look at it. The storm made all of her feelings of fear worse. She hadn't seen lightning like that since...

It was a very unwelcome thought.

Houjun turned his head to look out the window at the flashing blue lightening. This... was very not good.

"Calm down, no da. We won't go in there," he offered, his hands forming a placating gesture. "Would you rather we take horses, no da?" The staff in his hands trembled a bit, the rings clanging against each other. He didn't want to use magic to make her calm down, but she was just going to exhaust herself again about whatever.

"I don't care how I get there," Kaen said tightly, "so long as I am not alone in a room with you." Another flash of lightning illuminated the rings of his staff well. It seemed that perhaps he was a little nervous himself, in spite of the never-ending smile. Good, it was nice to know that it was no longer a one-sided feeling.

Houjun furrowed his brow in concern, some of the reasons why she might be afraid starting to sink in, and he didn't like it. "Alright, don't worry, no da. Nothing's going to happen to you," he promised and put down his cloak in the middle of the hallway. Anyone could walk through at anytime, which wasn't great for a spell, all things considered, but whatever would get her to relax.

"Just have a seat. We'll be there sooner than you realize, no da."

_Just believe in him for this much, Kaen. He isn't a bad guy._

Another flash of lightning outside the window drew her eyes. It was starting to frighten her, quite a bit. She didn't like lightning storms, and they always seemed to be everywhere she went.

But even worse, the more wild a storm became, the more some small part of her reveled in it. And she didn't like that one bit, either.

She looked back at the monk, her face pale. Sitting on a cloak in the middle of a hallway seemed innocent enough. She didn't like the idea of having magic cast on her, but she didn't have a choice. She'd agreed to it in order to help Jin. And now, he seemed quite earnest, in his own scary, smiling way.

Kaen took a hesitant step forward, and then another, finally sitting heavily on the cloak. There was really no comfortable way to sit with her leg bandaged as it was. She settled for keeping it straight out in front of her and hoping she wouldn't need to stand quickly.

There wasn't anything particularly flashy to his magic. He concentrated, standing above her, making signals with his left hand and wielding his staff with his right. There was an instant of light, then dark, and then, they were in a quiet cove along the beach, which she would recognize.

"Are you alright, no da?" Houjun asked, looking around the area for anything suspicious. Sometimes teleportation left people a bit confused and, certainly, put them in the middle of who knows what sort of situation at times.

"Just fine," she said, looking quickly around. She recognized the place instantly - it was where she had landed, just a few days ago. She struggled to her feet, idly wondering if the battered little boat that she had ridden in was still floating out on the waves.

As quickly as she could, she limped toward the village, not paying attention to whether or not the monk was following her. Her arrival - and rather tattered appearance - certainly caused a stir. She had a few children following her when she got to Goro's little hut, though they shied quickly away from it, afraid of Jin's illness.

Goro looked like he had aged ten years in just a few days, his face sallow and haggard. His eyes had a hectic light in them when he looked up at her. "Kaen!"

She shook her head as he began to stand, limping the last few steps, then dropping awkwardly to sit on the floor. She pulled out the bag of medicine and handed it to him. Embarrassingly enough, there were tears in his eyes. "Is Jin still alive?" she asked.

"Barely," Goro whispered. "But maybe he has a chance, now." He hurried to get some water boiling.

"Then it is good that I was able to return early," she said.

Houjun followed silently behind her, smiling -- obviously -- at all the people they passed. If she was getting weird glances, he was stared at quite a bit. But he was a monk, as was made obvious from his appearance, and they respected that, even though they might question his contact with Kaen and thus the disease.

The old man barely cast him a glance as he prepared the medicine. It was clear on his face that he was pleading forgiveness for not being more hospitable, but Houjun shook his head a little and sat down next to Jin. Lifting his staff, he began an incantation to help stabilize Jin while the medicine was administered.

Kaen almost felt relieved when the monk followed. If he was a powerful enough magician to teleport them cross country, he'd surely be able to help heal the boy. She stayed with Jin while Goro prepared the medicine, and helped him administer it.

After that, there really wasn't anything she could do. The only aspect of the healing arts she knew was how to tend the wounds received in battle. She was useless, and the tiny hut was already far too crowded with the two men and sick boy. As quietly as she could, she levered herself to her feet and left.

Kaen limped slowly to the nearby beach, where she sat on the soft sand, watching the waves. She didn't know what she would do, now. It was plain that she was in no state to travel, but she didn't want to stay in the village any longer either. Jin would live or he would die, and either way she wasn't sure she could face his father. Grief and gratitude were both things she wasn't used to dealing with. Maybe she'd be able to get far enough away to make a small camp, and she could stay there for a few days until her strength was back.

Inevitably, her thoughts wandered back to the sick boy. She'd tried not to care about him, just doing it as part of her duty as an Amazon. But she was worried, and she'd been through so much strain in just a few days on his behalf. Now there was no way to be certain if it had even made a difference.

Kaen drew her good knee up to her chest, wrapping her arms around it, and leaned down to rest her cheek against it. For the first time in years, she felt like crying, and she didn't like it one bit.

The healing went successfully, but what else did one expect when one of the Suzaku warriors put in a good amount of effort? The boy was still exhausted from the illness, but he showed improvement, and that was enough of a good sign for the old man and the monk. After an unnecessary amount of thanks, Houjun left the hut to share the news with Kaen.

He found her in at the beach, not looking too well. That wasn't so surprising, considering all that had happened within the past few days.

"He's going to be fine, no da!" he reported happily. He would have been smiling without the mask. Knowing about Amazons, he didn't want to make a big deal about her condition.

Kaen let out a sigh she hadn't even known she was holding in. The one great worry gone, then. She had nothing left but her own selfish worries about what she would do now. She didn't look up at the monk. It was shameful enough that she probably looked as awful as she felt, and as weak. No need to drive the point home.

"That's a relief," she said. After a moment of hesitation, she added, "Thank you, Monk."

She had worried a lot about the boy, and that earned Houjun's respect. "Thank you for letting me help, Amazon, no da." He grinned behind his mask. "Monk is a fine name, but you may call me Ri Houjun," he said, as he came and sat next to her on the beach.

Not too close, of course.

Kaen wasn't sure if she ought to tell the monk -- Ri Houjun, she reminded herself -- her name. She'd heard stories that magicians could do strange things if they knew someone's name. But... he hadn't done anything remotely bad, not yet. And as much as she distrusted anything that came from the male half of the population, she still knew she should try to be courteous to people that helped her. "Haku Kaen," she said.

It was oddly comforting to have someone on the beach with her, even if he was male. He wasn't sitting too close, so she could relax a little. It also helped stave off the urge to cry, because there was no way she'd do so with a man around.

"It's nice to be introduced, Haku Kaen," he said politely. He gave a soft sigh, the tenseness of the recent events finally getting to him a bit, too. Idly, he said as he looked out over the sea, "If only I had brought my fishing pole, no da!" He gave her a smile. Again. That masked smile.

Kaen looked up, out at the rolling waves. "According to Goro, the waters have been bad these last couple of years. I doubt you'd catch anything. The people here are barely surviving." It was an unnecessarily grim answer for such a light-hearted comment, but she couldn't stomach cheer at the moment.

And he was smiling. Again.

She'd finally had enough. The constant smile wasn't friendly, it was nerve-wracking. It made her wonder what he was up to, and that didn't seem to go with the image of himself that he cast with his words. "Look, if you're not planning on murdering me or attacking my virtue, would you please stop smiling for five damn minutes? You're making me nervous," she snapped.

Immediately, she looked down at the sand, feeling very stupid. It was also getting her on her nerves, she realized, the way this monk seemed to make her feel young and stupid and rude without trying. Or maybe she was just making herself feel that way, because it was the truth.

She was homesick, she realized suddenly, as she stared at a pattern in the sand. Away from home for less than a week, and she was already filled with regrets.

Houjun sighed a bit at her first response, and just stared at her for a second when she snapped at him. "Of course I'm not planning anything, no da. But I always smile," he stated lightly.

Then he looked away, scratching at his chin in thought. Maybe he should explain to her all that 'mask' stuff. She was an Amazon, after all, so a scar would probably not frighten her. And it might help her relax a little, if the smiling mask was really getting under her skin.

"I noticed that," Kaen said, quite cranky. Maybe she should just let it go, and move. But this was her beach - she'd been here first - and she might as well make her point. Her expression and tone became even more grim. "And every man says that he's not planning anything, and it's damn clear that every man lies. You seem nice enough, but I learned my lesson well that bad things happen when men smile. So please, _please_, just stop."

She didn't want to look at him any more, so she turned her face toward her knee, closing her eyes. She felt awful, and petulant. She'd said far too much. She might be an Amazon, but she knew she shouldn't yell at someone who had just helped save a child's life. "Look, I'm... sorry. I'm sure you're just doing good, and you're a nice guy. But good men are mythical animals. And... damn it, I don't know what I'm trying to say. Never mind." Just leave, she thought. Please go away. I've embarrassed myself a lot already, and apparently you just make it worse.

Houjun frowned behind his mask. Something had happened to her, something bad, but it wasn't his fault, and he was a good guy, and he wanted to prove that to her.

"I'm sorry," he said, in a surprisingly non-joking tone of voice. He brought his hand up to his face and hesitated for a moment before taking off his mask. He looked over at her with his one eye, his face a bit stern. "I'll stop."

There was another long pause. He wanted to offer her transportation back to the city, but he didn't know a) how to phrase it so it wouldn't be insulting and b) if she even wanted to go back there.

At the change in his tone, Kaen made herself look at him. She didn't seem at all upset by his rougher appearance. If anything, she felt relieved. He wasn't smiling. And there were more than enough Amazons that had terrible scars of one sort or another. A life of battle wasn't kind. Seeing this man missing an eye was far more normal than when he wouldn't stop smiling.

She gave him a very small, almost shy smile. She noticed the mask in his hand - well, that made more sense - then looked back up to meet his eyes for perhaps the first time since he'd stopped to help her. "I don't know why you bother with the mask," she said quietly. "I think you look better this way." She looked quickly back down at the sand, fighting down another embarrassed blush. She really had no idea what to say, but she was pretty sure what she'd just spoken was utterly inappropriate.

"The scar frightens people. Y'know, non-Amazon people," he said, looking at the mask in his hands instead of her. "And it adds way too much seriousness to conversation. I prefer a little levity in life."

But he didn't put his mask back on yet.

Houjun was a very, very weird person, Kaen decided. She saw nothing at all to smile about, and hadn't for as long as she could remember. No wonder he'd been scaring her. She shrugged, looking out at the sea. "If someone is frightened, that's their weakness." Which really just went to highlight how weak she still was, because she'd spent so much of the day feeling upset and scared.

Kaen was also a very, very weird person. "It's not very nice to dig into somebody's weakness. Especially since the scar is my problem, not theirs."

He always felt so burdened when he took off his mask and remembered his past, and that came out in his speech. It was much less jovial. But, she probably liked that.

"Nice." Kaen shook her head. "Nice doesn't exist. It's no favor to cater to weakness." That's what she'd always been taught. And the Amazons had certainly never catered to her crying or nightmares. It had made her very strong.

"But it's no dishonor, either. And it's certainly more honorable to not force my weakness on others," he said in a firm tone. And then he put the mask back on. This was a good day, after all. They had saved a child. No need to be so severe.

"Are you going to stay here?" Houjun finally asked, his eye looking over the sea and barely watching her in his peripheral vision.

When he asked the question, she was halfway tempted to tell him to mind his own business. But it touched on the very problem she'd been dealing with. "I can't," she said. "I don't belong here. I should have moved on a few days ago, but... duty wouldn't allow me to desert a child."

Houjun glanced at her and nodded a little. "That's very honorable of you. If you'd like to go to the city, I'm willing to teleport us back," he offered.

Kaen shrugged. The sun was setting behind them, turning the clouds a beautiful array of reds and oranges. "It doesn't matter where I go. I'm useless in my current state." She couldn't kill anyone, let alone the man from her nightmares with her injuries and current weakness. Right now, all she wanted to do was lay down and sleep.

"I wouldn't say you're useless, no da," he countered, "But we can stay here since it's getting late. You can tell me in the morning if you want to return to the capitol with me, no da." He began to rise to his feet, and dust the sand form him. Normally, he would have stuck around for the sunset, but he didn't think she appreciated his company, and he'd rather stay on her not-so-bad side.

"You can stay, if you want," she offered quietly, uncertain as to whether she was offering to let him stay on the beach, or in the village. She shrugged. "I think I'll sleep out here tonight." She didn't want to have to go back and speak with Goro. She had no idea how to deal with gratitude, and she didn't feel like she deserved it anyway. From start to finish, the entire venture had been a screw-up, and the only reason Jin wasn't dead was because a man had decided to help her. She definitely didn't deserve any gratitude.

After a moment to think, she said, "I might as well go with you. I can't do what I've come for, now. I don't have anywhere to be." She'd figure something out. It would probably be easier to find work of some sort and money in the city, and it was obvious that she'd need money.

Houjun paused and listened to her. With a nod, he said, "Sounds good. We will leave in the morning, no da." He wouldn't mind staying out here a while longer, but he did want to check up on the boy again and, in the end, too much of his presence might upset her again.

"I'm going to go into the village for the night. Would you like me to bring you a blanket, no da?"

Kaen shrugged. She wasn't about to accept even more from him, even if it was in the simple form of a blanket. Though, in another night, you could take it to mean that he knew his place, since he seemed to be trying to take care of her. Thinking about it that way made her feel a little better. "I don't know," she said, being honest. "I don't know how cold it gets out here at night."

Houjun nodded. "It's no problem. I'll get one from the old man and bring it out; you can use it or not, no da," he said cheerfully. He gave her a simple nod as if to say 'it's decided' and then he went into the village to borrow a blanket.

Kaen remained silent as he left. Then she finally unslung her weapons, setting them next to her on the beach. If she was going to sleep, she might as well be a bit more comfortable, though she had a feeling she'd be able to fall asleep no matter what. After a moment of hesitation, she unlaced her armor, laying it neatly out as well. There probably wasn't anywhere safer in the world than on this beach.

Painfully, she levered herself up to her feet and walked down to where the waves washed the shore. The breeze off the sea sent her tunic and skirts flapping around her. She felt horribly dirty and grubby. At first she just scooped up a bit of water to wash her face, even though bending down was a painful prospect. After a moment of consideration, she decided, what the hell. The monk would probably be checking on Jin while he was there, so it'd take him a bit to get back. She looked around until she found a small tidal pool with a few rocks as cover. After one last, paranoid glance around to make certain that no one was watching, the stripped off her clothing, hung them on rocks, and gingerly stepped in.

The salt water stung at her numerous cuts, and the pain it caused her wounds was enough to make her eyes water, but it was cool and unbelievably wonderful all the same.

The monk did take his time, but since Goro was kind enough to offer him room for the night, Houjun would have plenty of time to check on Jin later that night and tomorrow before they left. So he didn't waste too much time heading back to the beach. He was surprised to see Kaen gone, and he didn't see where she was.

"Kaen? I brought back the blanket. Are you here, no da?" Her weapons were, so she couldn't have gone far.

Kaen froze in the middle of scrubbing at her hair with a bit of soft sand. She cursed under her breath. Since when had men been prompt? She considered her options. If he came any closer, he might see her, and then she'd have to cut out his remaining eye. It seemed a shame to do that.

"Ah... thank you," she called. "Please just leave it there. Don't come any closer." She set about to quickly rinsing her hair. Too quickly, it seemed, since it made her move her arm around far too much. "Ouch! Damn it!" The wound had been stitched shut neatly with silk, but when she moved too much, she felt one of the stitches pop. Oh well, she'd survive. Grimacing, she reached up to the rocks and pulled her clothes down, then put them on quickly. They got rather wet, but it was better than the alternative.

After taking a deep breath and attempting to collect the scattered bits of her dignity, she walked back on to the beach. Just in case the monk was still there, she needed to keep up appearances.

"Uh... alright, no da," he said, the confusion clear on his voice. Then came the cursing and after a pause, he called out, "Are you okay, no da?"

Then he saw her walking back... clothes all wet. What the...? She was hopeless. And he would never say that to her face.

Kaen wished that she'd asked him to grab her small pack when he was back at the hut. Her spare clothes were in there, and she much preferred to wear cleaner, if more threadbare, clothing on a clean body. She crossed her arms, wincing slightly. "Just fine, thank you," she said.

Houjun sighed at her behavior. There was nothing to be done with her, though. "If that's it then, I'll go back to the village for the night, no da."

Kaen gave him a regal nod, picking up the blanket. She draped it over her shoulders, then began braiding her hair. "Good night, then." She hesitated for a moment, then said, "If you don't mind... when you come in the morning, bring my pack with you?" She hated to ask, but it did make sense for him to grab it if he was there.

"Of course I will," he said with a wave, starting to head back in the direction of the village. "Good night, Kaen!"

And he fought back the desire to call her Kaen-chan. That would have been such a bad move.

"Good night, mo-- Houjun," she said. It felt very strange. She shook her head and finished up her braid, then gathered up some driftwood and sea wood. A small fire, stars overhead, and soft sand. She would sleep well.


	3. Chapter 2

_**Again...**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Astrologer's tower, A city in the Empire of Konan; early evening

"Gyah!" Ou scrambled across the lab, looking at the parchment spread out in front of him. He checked and rechecked the lines and the figures and the calculations. Tables were strewn across the table, turned to various dates and objects.

"If this is right, then there's a conjunction happening in only a few days that hasn't been seen since the days of... the arrival of a priestess. That can't be right. None of the nations are at war. There's no immanent collapses. The prophecy says that we have to be on the verge of being destroyed before our priestess arrives."

Ou, after looking, rolled up his work, thinking that his eyes were simply playing tricks on him. He had to start thinking about the Imperial Exams in the capital. They'd be here next week. Maybe if he was lucky, he would get out in time to see the conjunction happen first hand and prove himself wrong. It was an eerie sign, though, that even things should get close enough to resemble those things that happened so many years ago. As he fell asleep, though, the panic that had seized his calculations left him. In the morning, he would continue to study for the exams and push away the thought of a priestess.

Kutou, outside the capital; late evening

The night was still and quiet, overcast as the day had been. Feeble light from the waning moon was swallowed up by the clouds, casting the land in darkness like a shroud. The road was empty, save for two boys stumbling along through the endless dark.

"C'mon, Shun-chan, hang in there," one voice quietly urged. "Just a little bit further."

Koutoku was supporting his brother, half-carrying him, as he trudged along the night-blackened road. He tried not to feel his fatigue, to ignore the dizziness that kept creeping in upon him, threatening to overtake him. Shun-chan was burning with fever, and Koutoku could feel the echo of the illness along the very strong bond he shared with his twin. It had rained yesterday, and they'd had no shelter. Balmy as the days could be, the night air still carried a chill for the unwary and unfortunate. For too long, now, they had been wandering with no sign of a town or village. Koutoku had to get them out of this wilderness, quick, before Shun's fever got any worse.

Shunkaku mumbled something incoherent in reply, his eyes closed and his head lolling. The arm he had draped over his brother's shoulders was the only thing keeping him upright. His body was a collection of dull aches, save for the sword trying to cleave his skull in two. His throat was raw from a dry, hacking cough that would take him in spells, and he was sweating and shivering at the same time. In short, he wanted nothing more than to fall down and pass out, but aniki seemed to think that was a bad idea. So he stumbled along in a half-conscious daze, letting his brother drag him the Gods knew where.

Finally, Koutoku saw a light ahead of them. It was dim -- a candle in the window of a farmhouse, perhaps. The older twin tried to quicken his step without sending the both of them sprawling. _Don't let that light go out,_ he prayed to whatever God was listening. _Please. Not until we get there._

He'd have to be daft to think that, with Shun as sick as he obviously was, anyone would let the two of them inside their home for fear of contagion. But where there were people, there were usually horses, and a horse would have no objection to the boys sharing its stable for the night. Right? Gods, he hoped it wouldn't.

The light remained burning as Koutoku found the door of the smaller, darker structure, heaved it open, and pulled his brother inside. Here it was even darker than the dead of night outside, but a quiet whicker and the smell of straw and manure told him that he'd guessed right. Slowly taking step after careful step in the pitch-blackness -- he didn't think he could handle the irony of tripping now and falling on a scythe -- he finally found a pile of straw to lay Shun down upon.

The younger twin collapsed gratefully onto the mass of prickly shafts, but started coughing as the other went back to close the stable door behind them. By the time Koutoku came back, Shun was hacking uncontrollably. The agonized sound made Koutoku's own breath hitch, and immediately he was beside his brother, holding him close against the spasms. Oh Gods, Shun's skin was like fire. Worry that had been creeping along its track in his brain now began to race. What if the fever had already spread too far, grown too much? What if there was nothing he could do?

_Gods, I can't have been too late!_

As if on cue the coughing fit passed, and Shunkaku once again sagged limply against his brother. His breathing was shallow and raspy, but even. Koutoku laid him down on the straw again and tried to think. He might be able to find some medicine in town tomorrow -- if there was a town -- and if Shun made it till tomorrow. No, he refused to think about that. Even if there was medicine available, the penniless orphans would have no way to pay for it. Koutoku didn't even have anything to exchange, save the threadbare clothes on his back and the worn leather case that held only a very simple wooden flute. No one would want those things, even if he was willing to part with them.

The echoes of Shun's aches and pains disappeared, the dizziness evaporated, and Koutoku knew that his brother was asleep. Asleep or unconscious. The older twin was even less certain than he had been a moment ago. Now the sinking fear gnawed at him that Shun might never wake.

He wished he could see his brother's face, but he might as well have been blind for the darkness pressing in all around them.

There was nothing for it, then. He would have to do what he didn't want to. But Shun was more important. He would sacrifice anything to keep Shun safe.

Koutoku leaned over his brother's still form and kissed him, very gently, his lips not even a feather's weight against Shun's. As he did so, a soft blue glow began to emanate from his right shoulder -- underneath his sleeve, the kanji "ko" would have been visible, like a phosphorescent tattoo against his skin. He closed his eyes and concentrated on drawing the fever out of his brother, diminishing it, through his mouth.

It was the divine gift of the God Seiryuu that allowed him to do this. Koutoku had known since he was a child that he was Amiboshi, one of the Shichiseishi of legend, destined to wield the power of Seiryuu, to aid and protect the Seiryuu no Miko in her quest to summon the Dragon God. Somewhere in the world were six others like him, all inescapably bound together by fate, waiting for the Seiryuu no Miko to appear.

He had never asked for this power. While he did make use of it -- as sparingly as possible -- and was grateful for it at times like this, he still very often found himself trying to deny it. Not for fear of the dangers he would surely face as a seishi -- though, undoubtedly, he was afraid -- but because of the knowledge that one day he would have to leave Shunkaku. When the miko came, he would be drawn to her, like a moth to the flame. He didn't think he would be able to resist. And whatever dangers he might face as a seishi -- they were supposed to be warriors, after all, guardians to protect the miko from all those  
who would seek to destroy her -- he couldn't bring Shun-chan into that. The world was dangerous enough without pulling his brother into heaps of peril that Shun might be able to avoid on his own.

But Koutoku had taken care of his brother for what seemed like their entire lives, ever since their parents died so many years ago. The two of them had never been apart. The thought of having to leave Shun-chan behind frightened him more than any war or army or God. It terrified him down to his core. He didn't know what he would do without his brother, what Shun would do without him. They were so devoted to each other, so closely bonded that they could practically read each other's thoughts at times, that physical wounds dealt to one often appeared on them both. When it finally did come time for him to leave, would Shun ever be able to understand?

Was it too much to pray that the miko never came?

It could have been moments, it could have been hours when Shunkaku's fever finally broke. The kanji on Koutoku's shoulder winked out, plunging the stable back into total darkness, and Koutoku collapsed onto the straw beside his brother. He lay there motionless for a long while, eyes half-lidded, his breathing falling into a steady rhythm with his twin's, which had lost all trace of raspiness. Using his chi this way always left him feeling weak as a kitten. It was different when he channeled it through his flute -- he could use the instrument to affect any living thing that heard it -- it did not drain him so.  
But for healing, he needed that direct physical touch to make it work, and it left him like this. Perhaps because he was less practiced at it, and was doing something wrong. But he was not eager to learn the proper way of such things. Gods, he never wanted to do this again.

But Shun-chan was breathing easier, and his fever had broken. Trying to banish every other thought from his mind, Koutoku curled up against his brother's side and let the gentle hand of sleep claim him.

Bai-Jing, Konan; early morning

Sun filtered through the wooden slats, drifting lazily onto the floor and casting shadows upon the walls. The morning was slowly arriving, bringing with it the awakening of life through the village. Birds chirped quietly in nearby trees, their songs melodic and delightful to ears so used to a sort of silence - one not always enjoyable, but allowing thoughts of poverty and helplessness to enter the mind when they were least expected.

Sou leaned against the cool wall, head placed against its cheaply painted surface, eyes watching clouds move slowly across the sky as the morning dew began to melt away. Arms were crossed solemnly over a loosely-fitting tunic and his breathing was light, as if caught in an endless reverie. The rooms of the small home were silent, bringing with them an eerie sense of being alone. The girls were on one cot, blanketed with thin wools and cloths, huddled together for warmth - the boys slept carelessly, their own coverings tossed awkwardly onto the floor. Sou glanced away from the small window, violet eyes roving the floor before glancing upwards and to a small corner near the back of the home. A ragged breathing could be heard from behind closed curtains, the sounds of an old man's light sleeping.

His father had been bedridden for some time. He had been a strong worker, always tending the fields and bringing the crops to market... and suddenly, when his limbs had become useless, they had all been brought to a solemn reality. It had been a disease. Sou grimaced at the remembrance of times past - the moments when he had been sure his father would be dead in the morning to come... helping him into his cold bed at night and holding his hand until he had fallen into a painful sleep. The other children hadn't been able to understand, they didn't know why their father couldn't play or hold them anymore... just that they had to help more than ever.

Times had become tough over the years. Drought brought periods when the crops had resisted growth, staying crumpled to the ground in lifeless heaps. Their money flow had run as dry as the earth around them - their dependence upon neighbors and friends becoming more consistent. Sou had taken over what was left of their fields, bringing what he could to market and taking home what could be considered enough food for the family.

He dropped his arms to his side, placing his palms flat across the cool walls, eyes watching the ground as if waiting for something to happen. He had taken the family on as his own... their own well-being resting on his shoulders, and no one else's. It wasn't a burden, however. In his heart he could feel a sense of pride and love for his family - the sisters who would wait for him to come home from the market every week, the brothers who would help carry tools to the fields and tie up what crops survived the season, and the father who held within him every regard and respect there was to be had for his eldest son. It wasn't a burden... it could never be a burden... it was love.

A warmth flooded Sou's insides at the thought, and a small smile flitted over his face. A bird chirped its morning greetings to the world, and in the adjoining room there was a small sneeze, and the sound of a yawn. Sou glanced to the cot to see Yuiren awakening from her slumber...

Today would be a new day.

Eiyou, the capital city; early morning

In Eiyou, the capital of Konan, there was the throne of the Emperor. For many generations, the same family ruled over Konan with an iron-fist; but even so, from that iron, love and flowers somehow grew, and the people loved their Emperor. For many years, the people supported an elderly man who loved his country with his entire heart. When the elderly man passed away, and the throne was vacant; his wife Motaikou, Konan's Dowager, took control of the country as she tried her best to prepare one of his sons to take the throne.

Tendou, the eldest of the children of the Emperor, was murdered by a rogue bandit while saving his youngest brother. Bogyoku, the second eldest of the children, escaped from his mother and family to go on his own adventure it was later discovered that he formed the Mount Reikaku bandits, before dying of illness. Ougi, the third eldest, was next in line but his mother, who fought bitterly for his right to rule, was defeated. Ougi was given control of a border city, Souun, to watch over. His mother was put to death.

For a time, it appeared the blood of the Emperor's royal line was cursed.

There were still two children left; Saihitei and Kotsuki, the two youngest. Saihitei had been kept in the imperial palace in Eiyou during his childhood, kept from his siblings whom moved with his mother to another palace, but during the last summer, both Kotsuki and Motaikou came to visit Saihitei. During dinner, Kotsuki suffered from a seizure which was induced by a rat-poison induced bun. Motaikou admitted she had fed the bun to her son.

The line of heirs had dwindled down, and Saihitei was forced to the throne at only 14 years of age; a lonely child, grieving for his brothers, longing for a lover. Six months later his mother lay on her death bed, telling her only surviving son she did everything for him, then passed him the throne and passed on to the next life.

The people learned little of what had gone on, other than the Dowager had passed away and the Emperor had been succeeded by his son, Saihitei. The people reached out to Saihitei, and for the first time in a long while, he found peace. He loved his country. He loved his people. The loneliness of living alone in the imperial palace passed as he reminded himself how many people there were who needed his help. His loneliness was ending.

Except that pain in the back of his heart that nagged at his soul. As a child he had been told the legend of Suzaku no Miko, who was going to come to Konan one day and lead them. He had already made up his mind; she would be the one he would love, even if he had to wait his entire life to meet her. He had his people to love and care for, after all, so he would never be alone.

The spring had been exceptionally bad, with flooding rains all over Konan. There had been many deaths in the smaller cities along the river; many homes had been destroyed in the process, and people were without food or shelter. This was something that gravely concerned Saihitei, and at this very moment, he was signing the documentation to be given to the local merchants; each merchant was to bundle food and clothing -- whatever they could afford to bundle, but it had to be something -- and give it to the group of guards that had been assigned to go to these villages to help rebuild.

Pushing away the paperwork, a solitary hand raised to brush strands of chestnut hair from his brow along with a sigh. It was going to be a long spring.

Kutou, outside the capital; early morning

Shunkaku woke, the thick, musty smell of horse and hay filled his nose. Aniki must have found them a barn to crash in last night. Shun vaguely remembered collapsing on a pile of straw; there wasn't much beyond that. He'd been really out of it, feverish and all, but he felt much better now. All he really needed was rest. He'd told aniki as much. Maybe next time he got sick, his brother wouldn't worry so much. Aniki did a lot of unnecessary worrying, it always seemed to him. That was just one way the two of them were different. One of many. People would call him rash and impatient, where aniki was always  
methodical and deliberate. He was a typhoon to his brother's gentle rain, a wildfire to his twin's steadfast candle flame. Identical though they may be, they really had very little else in common. Perhaps nothing else, save their absolute devotion to each other.

Aniki was still asleep, his head pillowed on Shunkaku's chest. Shun smoothed his brother's hair back a bit, picked out a few stray pieces of straw. Aniki did not stir at the touch. His breathing was deep and even; Shun didn't have to reach out along their bond to know that his twin was sleeping very soundly. Which was unusual; Shun could tell by the soft glow around the edges of the wooden boards in the walls that the sun was already coming up, and aniki was a very light sleeper. The younger twin was almost never the first of them to wake. But, he had to admit, it had been a decidedly rough night. Aniki needed this rest.

Shunkaku eased himself up, letting his brother's head drop gently onto the straw. He yawned, and stretched. There wasn't much light in the barn, only what edged in through the cracks in the walls, but it was enough. He took a look around in the dimness.

There wasn't much to the place. It was only large enough to house a single horse stall and an assortment of farming tools. But it was a luxurious haven as far as Shunkaku was concerned. If not exactly warm, at least it was dry, and protected from the elements. Four walls and a roof. He couldn't ask for more.

There was a leather bag hanging from a peg on the wall, and Shun found it was filled with old, wrinkled carrots. Horse fodder. Not fit for human consumption. To him and his brother, a feast. He bit the end off one and chewed hungrily. How long had it been since they'd last eaten? Three days? Four? A week? He had stopped keeping track. It was easier not to know.

The horse whickered at him, and he looked up at it. It stamped its hoof and tossed its head, until Shun smiled and held a carrot out for it, as well. "Thanks for sharing," he told the shaggy beast, rubbing its nose as it ate the proffered treat.

Food and shelter. This place was a paradise.

Aniki shifted, rolled over into the warm spot he'd left in the hay, but still showed no sign of waking. Shun watched him for a moment, taking another bite of carrot. Maybe the farmer would let them stay here for awhile. They could work his fields, tend his animals, do anything that needed doing. He probably couldn't afford to pay them -- money was tight everywhere, these days -- but if they could get food and shelter out of the deal, it would be well worth it.

Suddenly the barn door flew open, flooding the inside with the brightness of dawn. Shun flinched, shading eyes that were still accustomed to the dark, and flinched again as an angry voice met his ears. "Thief!" a man shouted. Shun couldn't see well, but the shape silhouetted in the doorway looked very big. "Horse thief! I'll skin you alive, you thieving little maggot!"

Things began happening very fast. Aniki came abruptly awake at the shout, just as the man in the doorway reached for a shovel and took a swing at Shun. Shun tried to dodge, but his twin's disoriented confusion pressed on his mind, slowing him, and the man landed a solid blow across his back. He stumbled, but got back up and pulled his brother to his feet. "We're not thieves!" he tried to shout back, but the enraged man wielding the shovel was having none of it.

"You no good sacks of crap! You won't steal my horse! I'll skin you both and tan your hide for leather!"

Shun got hit with the shovel several more times before he finally managed to push past the man and drag aniki out of there, and then they were both racing down the road, away from the farm. The man with the shovel chased them a short while, and continued shouting threats until they were out of sight.

Shunkaku kept running even after the angry shouts had faded behind them, but only for a short while. Aniki was falling behind. He could feel an immense weariness pressing down on him, a haze of exhaustion creeping in on the edges of his mind, and knew it stemmed from his twin. But aniki should have woken up by now. Adrenaline, at least, should have kicked in. Why was aniki so lethargic?

A sudden wave of dizziness was all the warning he had, before he whirled to see his brother stumble and drop to his hands and knees on the ground. Immediately, Shun was beside him, trying to support him. "Aniki, are you okay? What's wrong?" Then a terrible thought occurred to him. "You didn't catch my fever from last night, did you?"

Koutoku blinked a few times, trying to make the world stop spinning. Sensing his brother's alarm, he shook his head, then realized what a bad idea that was. "It's not that," he panted quietly. "I'm okay. Just...drained. A little light-headed. Got up too fast. That's all." He knew Shun didn't believe him. But he couldn't tell him the real reason; that he still had not completely recovered from last night. Healing his brother's fever had taken a heavy toll on him, but Shun didn't know he had done it. Shun didn't know he could do it. Shun had no idea his twin was one of the Seiryuu Shichiseishi of legend. And Koutoku, not ready to face it himself yet, had no idea how to tell him. "I'll be fine, just give me a minute to rest."

Shunkaku frowned, but then realized he still had the bag of carrots gripped tightly in his fist. Of course, aniki hadn't eaten in just as long as he had. He thrust one of the pitifully small tubers into his brother's hands. "Here. Eat."

Koutoku blinked again down at the shriveled little carrot, and smiled weakly before taking a grateful bite. He could remember a time when neither he nor his brother would touch the things. He hadn't been quite the picky eater that Shun was as a child, but getting the two of them to eat carrots was like pulling teeth for their mother.

He finished chewing, swallowed, and reached eagerly for another. Wouldn't mother be proud now? The thought very nearly brought tears to his eyes.

Life hadn't always been this difficult. In the years following their parents' deaths, the boys had been able to bounce from place to place, sharing in the generosity and hospitality of others, and pulling their own weight whenever possible. If they had been older, they might have been able to keep their parents' farm, to work the land and raise crops, at least enough to feed themselves. But they had been only children, then, not yet seen ten winters. They couldn't take care of themselves. And over the years, people became less generous, and lost their hospitality. Civil war was a constant, now, a whisper  
in the back of everyone's mind. Food was scarce, and money scarcer. Many men couldn't afford to feed their own families, much less take in two orphans off the street. He and Shun would have gladly worked for their keep, would have done just about anything if it earned them a meal. But there was just nothing to be had.

"I think there's a village further up," Shunkaku said, easing himself and his brother to their feet. He tried not to wince, already feeling sore spots where that farmer's shovel had struck. They would be bruises in an hour. "I saw smoke."

Koutoku took his brother's hand and pulled him off the road, into the woods. "We should avoid it," he said. In a village, they might be able to find food, find work, find something, but... "That farmer probably has business there. He'll spread word about the 'twin horse thieves.' We wouldn't be safe."

Shunkaku slung the bag of carrots -- there were still a few left -- over his shoulder, as he walked beside his brother. Aniki did seem better, now. A little food and rest could go a long way. Still, Shun was ready to catch him if he fell again. "So what should we do?"

Koutoku sighed wearily. "We'll bypass the village, keep to the woods, and pick up the road again once we're past it." Another sigh. "The road has to lead somewhere." He knew his brother would follow him blindly to the ends of the earth. He just wished he knew what lay ahead, and hoped he wasn't leading them off a cliff.

Eiyou; mid-morning

Houjun had made an unlikely friend with a wounded Amazon. And while she was not always the most charming of company to him, out of habit, Houjun believed that she was a good person in her heart and he had no problems looking out for her. Of course, his plan in Eiyou had been to meet with the Emperor, and now he had all the more reason to. He believed that he should have easy enough access -- you don't train with Taiitsukun and are you a Suzaku Seishi for no reason, after all. Kaen's presence, however, might prove more difficult, but she didn't have the money to survive alone in the city.

Especially since he had a feeling she was a warrior of Seiryuu. But maybe that was just a feeling, and not an important one.

But at least he had convinced her to accompany him to the palace to see what would happen, which was why at the moment they were slowly making their way through the crowds of the city, Chichiri constantly checking to make sure she still felt alright.

Kaen tried not to think of the crowds of men, hemming her in on all sides. This had been a bad idea. She really shouldn't have agreed to come along. But what else could she do? She had nowhere to go, and nothing she could do until she was entirely better.

A man in the crowd tried to grab a feel of her chest. It was lucky for him that she'd put her armor back on, so that all he got was a handful of leather. As it was, she snapped a punch out, hitting him squarely in the stomach. "Don't ever try that again if you want to live," she growled at him. She had to hurry a few steps to catch up with Houjun.

Where were they going, anyway? She'd expected him to just drop her off somewhere. She needed to start looking for work, though what sort of work she'd be able to find in this man-infested city was anyone's guess. Well, she supposed that it never hurt to ask.

She reached out to tap him on the shoulder with her good arm. She didn't feel right touching him, but it was the only way to get anyone's attention in these crowds. On the way, she elbowed another man who had moved in to close.

"Mo -- Houjun, where are we going?" she asked, striving to sound annoyed. It came out more worried than anything else. She'd been trying to convince herself to trust a monk, but every time she almost managed it, he started doing something odd.

Houjun turned to her, feeling a little bad about the difficulty of the journey towards the palace. He couldn't exactly find a gentle way to say this, so he admitted, "To the palace, no da. I'm hoping we'll be able to get along there, no da."

Another man got a little too close, and Houjun knocked against his legs with his staff, so that the stranger backed away a little. Oh, Suzaku, Saihitei really needed to get this place together.

Kaen stopped dead in the middle of the street. Someone ran in to her from behind. Even though it wasn't really his fault, he got a nasty elbow to the sternum anyway. "The palace?" she exclaimed. "The--? Houjun, are you INSANE?"

He had to be. That was the only possible answer. An itinerant monk didn't just show up at a grand palace. Nyosei didn't have government like that, and she still understood that fact. And monks that shouldn't be there to begin with certainly didn't bring bedraggled amazons along either. What was he thinking? There was no way she was going to bow to male officials!

Or maybe he intended to beg at the kitchen door. More possible, since many monks lived by begging. But to expect her to join in...? What was he thinking?

He expected a reaction like this, and he gave her a placating gesture. "C-c-calm down, no da," he said, hoping that she wasn't going to break any innocent people.

"The Emperor and I... have something in common," and that was all that she was getting out of that, "And I've, hmm, prepared to be an advisor under... a very important lady." Heh, he just called Taiitsukun a lady. She would probably pop out of nowhere and thank him for that.

He wasn't thinking much beyond getting them a place to stay -- he certainly couldn't expect her to bow to anyone. But hopefully she'd be polite enough not to get kicked out. Either way, he still planned on going. Out of the kindness of his heart, he hoped she would come, too.

Something in common? What was he talking about. Maybe they were brothers or something? Half brothers? The idea of Houjun being a royal bastard boggled her mind, and she hastily put it aside. Kaen took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.

_You have nowhere else to go,_ she reminded herself. She could always leave. And do... something else. She'd figure it out. But the door was always there if she needed it.

"Fine," she said. "Lead on."

She wasn't sure if it was from a sense of profound, morbid curiosity or just the desire to see a horrific accident happen in slow motion before her eyes. But she followed him.

"Good, I will, no da," he said with an enthusiastic smile and continued to walk towards the palace. He began to try to pay more attention to her and if she was keeping up -- and keeping men away from her.

Eventually, the palace began to loom in the distance. It was... really big. He sighed a little to himself. He knew that poor boy Saihitei was on the throne after all the troubles with his family. Houjun hoped that he could help the boy become a great ruler, thanks to Taiitsukun's training.

Kaen couldn't help but feel more worried the closer they got to the palace. It was enormous. This was no place for someone like herself, and definitely not a place for a wandering monk like Houjun. Maybe he really was crazy. Kaen resolved that if he seemed to be getting himself in trouble, she'd grab him and run. She owed him that much. She just really hoped that they'd end up at the back door. Otherwise, there'd probably be trouble.

At least he seemed to be maneuvering them through the crowd in such a way that there were less men running in to her. It made her feel a bit better. She really didn't expect anyone male to be that courteous toward an Amazon. If he was doing it on purpose, that was kind of... well... nice of him.

She followed him quietly, full of worry about what might be coming. She did her best to keep up her stoic appearance.

This was definitely an adventure, that was for sure.

Houjun was weird, to be sure, but he was not crazy nor rude. He wouldn't do anything to try to injure Kaen or her pride. How long would it take her to figure that out?

Once they got close to the palace, the guards started to eye the duo. He paused under the portico of a building very near the palace. Houjun turned to Kaen and said pleadingly, "Ano... is it alright if I leave you here for just a moment so I can have a word with the guard, no da? Just stay right here."

Alright? It was really something of a relief! Stoic Amazon, Kaen reminded herself. She needed to be stoic. So she pretended to think about it for a few seconds, then nodded. "Of course," she said. She could keep her distance, and happily. But she would keep an eye on him, to make certain that he didn't get in trouble with the guard. She still couldn't believe he was the acquaintance of an Emperor.

While she waited, she nervously fingered her bow. It wasn't strung, but she wanted to be able to do it quickly if Houjun got himself into trouble.

Houjun nodded in relief and then left her there to talk with one of the guards. Of course there was a tense moment when the guard was first approached, but then he relaxed a little as he and Houjun continued to talk. The guard shouted over his shoulder for someone -- another guard, it seemed a few moments later when he showed up. Houjun pointed in Kaen's direction and the guard nodded something as they continued to talk.

Houjun nodded gratefully and the guards bowed to him as he headed back towards Kaen. "We have to go talk to the Emperor, no da. The guard will escort us in."

That was simple, wasn't it?

Okay, maybe Houjun wasn't insane when he said he and the Emperor knew each other. Kaen nodded, feeling a little stunned. "Oh."

This could be a bad thing, she realized as she followed the guards. Emperors expected a lot of unreasonable things from women. Like not going armed into their presence. And all that pathetic bowing and subservience. She wasn't about to budge on either of those matters, because no man was worth that sort of fawning respect. Hell, no woman was worth that sort of fawning respect either.

Well, she didn't know much about the Emperor of Konan. Maybe he had a better understanding of the way the world worked than his fellows.

Houjun was a little nervous himself about how Saihitei would react. But he was young, so maybe things would work out. Hopefully.

They walked silently through the palace grounds until the reached the Emperor's throne room. Houjun stared at the Suzaku carved on the stairs for a moment before turning to Kaen. "Now we wait for the Emperor, no da."

He was trying to ignore the rather odd looks given to the smiling monk and the Amazon by the random courtiers and guards.

Kaen was more concerned with taking in the numbers of people, as well as their possible level of threat before she did anything else. Ah, courtiers and guards around. This would certainly be interesting, since she'd wager good money that none of them had even heard of Amazons. Now that she was there, she felt like she could stop worrying. There wasn't anything that she could do about it, after all. Really, this could be a glorious way for her to go down, if the guards took umbrage to her presence and she had to try to fight her way free. The thought was actually rather relaxing. Bloodshed, she could handle.

After making mental note of where the guards were, and figuring what she might expect in a fight, she actually looked at the room itself. It was ornate. To someone with her simple tastes, it was ridiculously so. It never ceased to amaze her that a leader would live in a sumptuous palace while the people - like those of Silver Sea - live out their lives in tiny huts and scraped for every ounce of food. Some became so desperate, they'd even sell their own children, after all...

It wasn't the time or place to be thinking about that. Kaen shook her head, then looked at the carving she'd noticed Houjun staring at. "Sure," she said. "I'm certain it will be lovely." Her tone was very dry. "What is that?" she asked, indicating the carving.

Stepping into the throne room was a woman with long chestnut hair, dressed in gorgeous crimsons and gold. She was simply stunning, really. Brushing her long hair from her eyes, she made her way to Houjun, and actually embraced him.

"My good friend, Houjun!" Wait -- she? So much for the idea that was a woman. No, "her" voice was very male, deep but rich. His smile was wide now, stepping back from the monk to look him over, then towards the Amazon.

Houjun smiled at the Emperor and embraced the beautiful man back. It felt like such a long time! "It's so good to see you, no da!" he said cheerfully. And good to see that Saihitei was holding up, at least seemingly.

... He seemed to sparkle then. "My, my! This woman is exquisite! Houjun, I must have her in my harem! I must!"

... Saihitei loved beautiful things. He was beautiful, so the things that matched his beauty excited him, and he wanted them. Who would deny the Emperor what he wanted?

Houjun was stunned speechless for a second, because that… that was not a good thing to say to an Amazon.

Quickly he shook his arms and pleaded, "Ano, Emperor Saihitei, with all due respect, she's ... not... it's not... ano." He took a deep breath, glancing back to gage Kaen's reaction. "She's an Amazon, Lord. Are we familiar with their kind?" If not, he was about to get a long lesson from Kaen, but Houjun held his staff back a little to bar any assault she might have planned.

At first, Kaen relaxed, relieved to see that Houjun's friend was female. Then he spoke. And then he insulted her. Her hand immediately went to the hilt of her sword, but she had a feeling that it was a bad idea to eviscerate the bastard in front of everyone, even if he did deserve it. Male guards - like those surrounding the room - were never understanding, mostly because they were ignorant.

She growled, "Take back your words or die on the point of my sword, you motherless dog."

If it came to that, she decided, Houjun would be next on the list. He had brought her here.

Almost as quickly as she had moved her hand, the royal guards shifted in place, and blades were drawn in unison. With the Amazon in the palace, the guards had all moved from their posts to see what exactly might happen -- and certainly the sound of seventeen steel blades being unsheathed at once rang out loudly across the room, the men making a circle around the trio in the center. Even if she didn't flinch, the men wouldn't hesitate in taking her head if need be.

"An Amazon you say? A very rare, exotic woman you bring before me, Houjun. The fire in her eyes burns brightly, and enhances her beauty, wouldn't you say?" Her 'motherless' quote made his eyes flicker slightly, but that was the only signal that it even registered in his mind.

"Why, my beautiful maiden, I meant no insult. It is an honor to have you even in my presence, one as fine as yourself" As he spoke he took another step forward, his hands at his side though ushering his guards to stand down. Slowly, one by one, the swords lowered, though none sheathed their blades just yet. The sheathing may not happen if she continued to act so irrationally -- at least, irrational to the men of the court, mind you.

Oh, Houjun had his work cut out for him with these two. He noticed Saihitei's eyes flicker, because Houjun was very carefully gauging all of the Emperor's reactions. He himself gripped his staff tightly, ready to either protect Kaen or beat some sense into her, whatever was needed.

He honestly didn't know what to say in response to Saihitei's question. He hadn't thought about or seen women the same since he had lost his fiancée and became a monk. So what was he going to do about this?

Frowning behind his mask, "Lord Saihitei, I didn't bring Kaen here because she is a beautiful woman. She has been traveling with me, no da," he started with a simple explanation, talking slowly. Maybe it would give everyone time to cool down a bit.

Kaen didn't flinch at the sound of drawn steel, even so much of it. She was an Amazon. She would die before she bowed. She watched the Emperor with narrowed eyes. His words only served to anger her further; she slipped from hot anger to cold rage in a moment. _That patronizing bastard._ She forced herself to release the hilt of her sword. At least he was making an attempt to placate her, annoying as it was. The air around her felt strange and heavy, like a building storm.

When she spoke, her voice was quiet and very, very cold. "I am not yours, and I couldn't possibly care less what you think of my appearance. I am a warrior of Nyosei." She fought the urge to take a step back when he came toward her. Warriors didn't back down. "However.. I accept your apology. And I... apologize in turn for thinking to draw steel within your home."

She didn't really expect him to accept it, but she was ready to die gloriously if need be. She looked at Houjun. Having to look at the other man just made her angrier.

Taking everything in at once, he took a step back, still holding that smile he hadn't dropped. He raised both hands, in a form of welcome, out to his sides. "My home is your home, maiden of Nyosei." He twisted slightly, to look back over to Houjun. "Am I to guess that you are looking for safe haven to stay, dear friend? You know fully well that it shall be granted."

He wouldn't turn aside one of his only friends -- and one of his advisors, no less -- from a place to stay at the palace. Not to mention the woman he brought with him; Saihitei would have been out of his mind to deny her a place to stay, rude or not. He believed in peace, after all, not war.

His hands flipped and lowered, and the guards finally backed down. With a nod a majority of them left, though most unwillingly, and Saihitei moved back towards the throne, in which he took his place on.

"Tell me of your adventures, friend. Are you hungry? Thirsty? I shall get you whatever you wish."

The Palace Library; afternoon

Houjun had settled in well at the palace, even though he had to keep his eye out for Kaen. That girl was trouble and a half. What else did he expect from an Amazon? Right now, though, in the early light of morning, he was seeking a little peace in the library. He was looking through scroll after scroll to try and understand what was happening to the world. It was coming upon a stage of turmoil, he could feel it in his bones. Did that mean that the Suzaku no Miko would be coming soon? If so, he needed to figure out how to find the other seishi.

He sighed as he rolled up one scroll and unrolled another. He'd much rather be fishing.

Astronomer's Tower, Konan; afternoon

Chiriko looked through the books again. "There's no doubt, now. Those stars are aligned. There's only one more thing that has to happen and the prophecy will be fulfilled." Running out the doorway, Chiriko began to throw together some things he would need for the trip, hoping that the palace would have all the rest of what he needed when he got there.

"Mom, Dad! I've got to go to the palace!"

"Ou, the exam results won't be there for another month."

"No, no. It's the prophecy! It's all coming true. We've got to warn the Emperor!"

"Are you still working on those things? I thought the official had said those things weren't important. If you're going to be a good government minister, you're not going to be able to just run off on your own to go chase silly things."

"This isn't silly. If the rest of the prophecy is true, then we've got to get the kingdom ready. If it's not true, then it still wouldn't hurt."

"What are you talking about?"

Chiriko drew in a deep breath. _"When the Seven Stars align in the constellation of Suzaku, the Seven Stars will be reborn to the world. The rebirths of the stars will be the first sign of the world's decline._

The rebirth of the stars will bring invasions and war. Sons and daughters will be torn from their parents, crops will be trampled and the engines of war will destroy the country. The Mandate of Heaven will be broken, and generals will rule with iron fists. The world will descend into chaos.

When the country is on the brink of destruction, a girl from another world will arrive and harness the powers of Suzaku. The Priestess will gather the Stars together to her, and will send a prayer to the heavens. If the Stars and the Priestess are of one heart, the wishes of the Priestess will heal the land _and the people._ Don't you see? I've got to tell the Emperor to get ready. We're already seeing troops from Kutou raiding in far more than we used to."

"And just what will you tell the Emperor?"

"To get ready for war."

Within a half-hour, a horse sped off toward the palace, hoping that the warning would not come too late.

Imperial City, Kutou; afternoon

They passed the village without incident, but without opportunity or prospect, either. As they continued, the villages became larger, closer together, but also harder, less friendly. Koutoku knew where they were headed even before the locals told them they were following the road to the Imperial city. He could tell by people's demeanor, by how they all seemed busier but did less actual work.

They had managed to pick up some small coin for labors rendered -- far more labor than the smattering of copper should account for. Koutoku had hoped for more, but no one would keep them on for long, nor pay them more than a slave's wage, and they weren't in much of a position to argue. If this was all they could get, then they just had to take it and be glad they got _something_. Even this tiny bit of money could be stretched to last them awhile. The Gods knew, he could make it stretch.

They'd arrived in the capital city several hours earlier that day. Shunkaku was excited, and was glad that aniki hadn't made them turn back. They had been here before, and Shun liked the activity, the liveliness of the city. So many people doing so many things! It was never dull here. Not to mention things were usually a little easier for the two of them. Poor farmers out in the country didn't have much to offer; city folk were all rich by comparison.

But aniki didn't like coming here. For every coin that could be earned, there were two thugs hiding in an alley, waiting to kill you and take it. The city was more dangerous than anyplace else. Shunkaku kind of enjoyed the thrill of it. He was very different from his brother.

But Shun wasn't thinking about any of that. His gaze alternated between people passing by on the street and the small woven basket on the ground in front of them, while his ears were filled with the gentle, flowing, skillful notes from his brother's flute. There were five coins in the basket; he and aniki had only put two of them there themselves. Shun was supposed to be keeping sharp eye out for trouble, guarding both of them and the precious money they earned. But all too often he found himself drifting with his brother's music, almost losing himself as he knew aniki was already lost. Shun loved listening to his brother play, loved the feeling of tranquility that washed over his twin when he did. Aniki didn't play enough, anymore.

Kutou Palace; evening

Chuin carefully lifted off his headdress and set it on the costume rack, gently combing the feathers with his fingers and checking for any loose jewels. He followed this with his scarlet coat, and the remains of his costume, changing into plain silk pants and a loose shirt before carefully removing his makeup. He was tired, but pleased; the emperor was more than happy with his opera troupe, and had been very generous, offering them rooms in the palace and a good salary, and performances every night. They'd only been there a week, and Chuin was swamped with requests for autographs and the concubines often tried to play with his hair and clothes, simpering as they did so. Not bad for a group from one of the poorest villages in Kutou. Chuin had already set to decorating the room: an opulent array of red silk drapes and bedclothes, fine blue vases and orchids in jade pots.

Now cleansed of make-up, Chuin rested his chin on one hand and studied himself in the mirror, pausing to take a long drink of jasmine tea. It was one of his own blends, one made to soothe nerves and help with sleep. He had a multitude of them in his drawer, which was kept locked. Rummaging through the drawer for a moment, he picked up a small gray shell and ran his fingertips over it. The temptation to escape into illusions was great, but he needed to keep his head clear; he held it tightly in his fist for a moment, and locked it away again.

Barefoot, he paced the room and checked that the doors and windows were locked. Palace intrigue was all well and good in the daylight, but he did not entertain visitors at night, not anymore. Finishing the tea, he sat down on the bed to braid his long hair for the night. He kept alert for people outside the door. He'd heard rumors about the Emperor, and while he paid well, Chuin didn't like the way the Emperor looked at him.

Concubines giggled outside the door as they passed. Chuin lay back against the pillows and closed his eyes, but did not sleep.


	4. Chapter 3

_**Again...**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes._

_Come and see what could have been._

Tokyo; morning

The persistent sound of Miaka's alarm disturbed her, urging her to awaken from the sleep she'd found so hard to achieve. She opened her eyes and glared at the annoying, chicken-shaped alarm clock before she slowly made her way out of bed. Her legs fell off the side and she then lifted her upper body from the warm sheets. She set her feet on the hardwood floor and stood up. Miaka walked across the room to the alarm, diligently placed across the room from her so she wouldn't turn it off and sleep in.

After yawning and stretching, Miaka walked to her closet and removed one of the hangers holding her mousy brown school uniform. She stumbled to her bed and laid her uniform down, removing her night gown and replacing it with her underwear, socks, blouse, skirt, jacket and a blue bow under her collar. She walked to the bathroom and pulled the lower left-hand corner of the mirror and got her toothbrush out.

About a half an hour later, Miaka charged down the stairs and checked the kitchen cabinets out for something suitable for her breakfast. She slipped to slices of bread in the toaster and bounced on her heels as she awaited her food to come springing out.

"Well day, here I come! More studying for exams." She remembered the day's plans with a pitiful expression on her face until she stuffed her mouth with the toast. She left her home, late again, and ran to the train station. She looked around and then down at her bare knees and, what used to be, white knee-high socks. They were now speckled with mud. She stood against the bench and waited, still chewing her last bite of toast.

After some time, Miaka and the train arrived at the station nearest her school and she darted off before anyone could get in her way. She ran as fast as she could to the front entrance to her school and looked around. She leaned forward and set her hands on her knees, pleading with her breath to return to her.

_That's strange… Where's Yui-chan?_

She had been up an hour earlier than she had to be for school. Yui wanted to get more studying in before she absolutely had to be ready for school. She even made it out the door five minutes earlier than she had the day before, successful in avoiding her mother's normal lecture on the importance the upcoming exams were to her future.

Yui patiently waited for the train with the rest of the morning crowd. Unsurprisingly, there was no sign of Miaka. After she stepped onto the train, she chose a seat by the window. During the brief ride to the school she reread one of the cram school books.

Yui stood before the train had come to a halt (feeling very rebellious) at the station closest to the school. Her dark brown book bag casually slung over her shoulder as she stepped off the train and walked the short distance to the school. She looked down at her watch to see that she still had a good ten minutes before the first bell rang. A small smile came to her lips as she spotted Miaka at the entrance, out of breath.

She comes to stand next to her friend and asked, "Miaka-san, are you okay?" Yui's outfit was identical to the uniform Miaka was wearing.

It was so. Damn. Early. Who the hell got up at 7am? Okay, okay, so maybe his mom and Miaka had to leave this time of day everyday, but he was a college boy! How could they expect him to learn at this hour? And why, why couldn't he get into the 3pm class for physics instead of the 8am? He'd have to find out which god had a vendetta against him and sacrifice some small animals to it later.

He banged into the door jamb for the bathroom. "OW!"

...or maybe a medium sized animal.

Soon thereafter...Morning routine. Accomplished.

Bleary-eyed and sluggish, Keisuke dragged himself to the bus, stumbled down the stairs when he arrived on campus, and plopped himself in a seat, hoping no one would ask him to answer any questions.

Miaka had hardly caught her breath before hearing Yui's voice. "Good morning Yui-chan!" She smiled. "I'm fine. I just don't want to study for the exams." She gave a look of agony. "You're so smart, Yui-chan, I bet you don't even need to study!"

Yui smiled at her friend as they let other students walk by them. She knew she received good grades on her previous exams, but she had to study hard, just like everyone else. Miaka was a good student, better than she gave herself credit for, and could be even better if she put enough enthusiasm into her studies as she did with food.

"Miaka, you will be fine if you keep your mind on your studies." She said trying to give her best friend all the encouragement she could. Yui wished that for a few days she too could take a break from the cramming, but she knew her mother would not allow it. She inwardly sighed at the thought of more studying, later at home.

Miaka chuckled and walked through the doors and down the hall toward their first class. "That's harder than it sounds." She mumbled. "I'm so tired." She looked down the hall at the doorway to their first class. She rubbed her eyes, then looked at Yui.

Yui silently agreed with Miaka's statement, not wanting to linger too long on her own thoughts of self-pity. She took her seat among her fellow students. She glanced over at Miaka to see her head bobbing. Miaka would probably pass out after the first five minutes of class. If they were both very lucky then the school would catch fire, thus ending classes for the day.

The bell rang and the students began their first period lecture regarding the upcoming exam. Yui was focused on the book in front of her and wasn't paying attention to Miaka. The text in front of her was talking about the chemical balance of an oxygen atom. It was boring, but facts like these would be on the exams. Too bad they couldn't read something more interesting, like British Colonial Novels.

Yui rested her chin on her hand and sighed. Her last thought must have been a side effect from hanging around Miaka for so long. If it were not for her friend, she probably wouldn't have any fun in her life.

Then a peculiar smell flooded her senses. Yui wrinkled her nose, disgusted, and automatically covered her face with her hands. Her classmates had also caught a whiff of the offending odor and started complaining. The boys opened windows but the odor only got worse.

The teacher coughed, trying to regain control of the classroom. "Everyone, please continue studying. I'll return as quickly as I can."

7:42 A.M. Tetsuya frowned at his watch. Less than twenty minutes to get himself into his car and over to the campus for his first class. And all without coffee too. That ought to be a crime. Working without coffee? How could anyone possibly last through the day?

He scrolled through a mental checklist as he looked back into the mirror and resumed fixing his hair. Clothes, check. Breakfast, check. He put on the finishing touches and placed his comb down on the dresser. Hair, check. A quick scoop of the item next to the comb and... Sunglasses, check. Tetsuya nodded. He was ready.

Coffee, missing.

Or at least, as ready as he could ever be. Grumbling to himself, he grabbed his backpack and keys, shrugged into his jacket, and made his way downstairs. 7:49. No time to stop for a quick cup at the convenience store, not if he wanted to make it to his class on time. He'd been ditching it too many times this semester; any more tardiness or truancy and he might as well drop the class. Which he didn't want to do.

Somehow, despite the rush hour traffic, he made it to class right on the dot, walking in from the back of the room the very same moment the professor was coming in from the side door. He made his way down a few aisles and dropped into his seat next to...a half-asleep Keisuke. Tetsuya rolled his eyes.

Tetsuya barely registered the roll call, only enough to lift a hand and wave idly when he heard his name, but otherwise, he was preoccupied with pulling out his notes and looking for a pen.

Keisuke managed a half-wave as his pal made it to class. He grinned and whispered, "What's the special occasion? You being here and all," he teased.

He was still smiling sleepily when something smacked him upside the head.

"YUUKI KEISUKE!" roared the professor.

"OW! Huh? What?"

"I called your name three times. Will you please pay attention?"

"Ah, heh, yeah, sorry," Keisuke rubbed the middle of his forehead, where, he discovered, a chalkboard eraser had hit him square between the eyes.

There was silence for a moment. People were looking at him expectantly. Confused, he just stared back.

"Bring me back the eraser, Yuuki-san."

He would've liked to have thrown it back at him, but that would probably get him kicked out of class, and class cost money... money he didn't have... So instead he took the walk of shame up to the front of the room, handed over the eraser to the smug-looking professor, then slumped back into his chair amidst his classmates' amused looks.

For awhile, he glared up at the front of the room as the professor discussed something or other about trajectory. He folded his arms on his desk and rest his head there, sulkily.

He could just imagine himself taking a baseball bat to the professor. Yeah, just like in little league. "Imagine the ball is someone you hate!"

Yeah, Professor Takano's face, coming right for him... The crowd is cheering his name. They're down by three in the final inning, bases are loaded.

"Yuuki! Yuuki! Yuuki!"

Here it comes. He swings! He connects!

"HOME RUN!"

When he woke up, Keisuke could distinctly hear the last of himself shouting "home run!". His fists were implanted in his professor's face. His fellow students were barely holding in their laughter.

Stricken, he looked to Tetsuya for help.

Tetsuya had his shades pushed up to just above his forehead and his face buried in his hands. Whether it was to keep his mortification from showing or to prevent himself from exploding into helpless laughter was an open question. Maybe it even was a blend of both. Keisuke was a great guy most of the time, but when he screwed up, he really screwed up.

At least no one could accuse him of doing things in halves.

Tetsuya mentally counted backwards from five. When he reached "one," he jumped up, slammed his shades back down over his eyes, and began rattling off at nearly breakneck speed while discreetly stuffing his notebook back into his pack and looping the strap around one hand, "So, so sorry, Professor! You know how it is: early in the morning, not fully awake, previous late night, and all. If you'll just please excuse us for one second..."

Thankfully, the professor was still frozen where he stood, too stunned to react. Tetsuya seized the opportunity to grab Keisuke by the arm, pull him out of his seat, and hustle him out the room before the volcano blew.

He was completely paralyzed, staring in horror as Tetsuya shoved him out of the room. Once they were outside, he seemed to snap out of his daze. With wide eyes he turned to his friend and grabbed a hold of his shirt collar.

"Tetsuya, I didn't really just punch the professor in the face... Did I?"

The door had barely closed behind them when the eruption--rage from the professor and laughter from the students--finally came. "YUUKI!" Thankfully, the door and the walls muffled it. Still, maybe it was better to get the heck away from the place for now.

Tetsuya put on his best grin, artfully slipped out of Keisuke's grasp, and looped an arm around Keisuke's shoulders.

"Keisuke, my man," he said cheerfully as he began steering them both down the corridor as fast as he could without breaking into a run. "Let's get some coffee into you, shall we?"

Yeah, the professor probably wouldn't be screaming his name like that if he hadn't just smacked him upside the head, would he? Keisuke shuddered.

Shuffling away at a speedy walk, they were about halfway down the hallway when the door burst open.

"Yuuki, GET BACK HERE!" he heard a bellow from behind.

He could feel Professor Takano's fury like a wave of molten lava across his back. There was now way he was going back to that classroom now. Grabbing Tetsuya's arm, Keisuke broke into a mad dash for the exit.

Don't look back. Don't look back. Whatever you do. Don't.

Why am I running with him? Tetsuya wondered as he pounded after Keisuke. On the other hand, it wasn't like he could go back now. Without Keisuke, the professor would probably wind up venting his displeasure at Keisuke's best friend (which happened to be one Tetsuya Kawajiri, Esq.), as unfair as it would be.

But Keisuke had punched the professor in the face. So fairness probably wouldn't be on his mind. Especially in his current Mount Krakatoa state.

They burst out into the sunlight. For good measure, Tetsuya continued walking and refused to look back. There went his attendance record and probably his grade for the course, but right now self-preservation was more important.

"So, Keisuke," he said with forced joviality, "what do you say to that coffee?"

Ah, sunlight. Sweet, sweet freedom. He didn't want to go to that class anyway. It was just a review day for the test that was coming up. He'd just have to hit the library later. Other students, the ones who hadn't gotten in enough trouble to warrant a wild escape, would be there and be able to provide him with information on what to study. Until then... Coffee.

"Hmmm... I say, great idea. Think we'll be safe at the campus cafe?"

Keisuke walked across the campus green, already feeling more awake after that morning 'jog'. Maybe he'd have to get in the habit of going for a run before classes like this.

Tetsuya looked tiredly after Keisuke's back as he trailed behind the other. How Keisuke could perpetually keep such a positive outlook on life, he had no idea. But yes, coffee. He needed it, and, if the display back in the lecture hall had been any indication, Keisuke needed it even more.

"How 'bout something better?" Tetsuya suggested at length, walking up beside his friend. "Since we just got out a two-hour class, let's go downtown and chill in one of the cafes there. They probably got better coffee there too."

"No kidding they have better coffee! I think they've got a fall special, one of those pumpkin flavored cappuccinos or something, aw man, that sounds awesome."

That place probably had cute coffee clerks too. Older women who worked the morning hours before the younger part-timers came in. If he wasn't so set on graduating with honors, he could spend every physics class this way instead.

Stretching his arms over his head, he yawned, then placed his hands behind his head. At this his stomach let out an audible growl. It had been berating him all morning for skipping breakfast. He could pick up some overpriced pastry or something there too.

"Where you parked?"

"Pumpkin-flavored cappuccino," Tetsuya mused. He doubted he'd like it. Some tastes he could tolerate -- french-vanilla, for example--but for the most part he tended to avoid the esoteric and/or unusual ones. "I think I'll stick to the standard, thanks."

As they changed course, angling for the parking lots instead of the building the campus cafe was in, Tetsuya pulled out his key ring and idly twirled it. "You know, the same old spot. Lot Two, Slot Four-Oh-Five."

He tossed the keys into the air, caught them in his palm, and closed his fist around them. "You realize, of course, that some time later today, you'll have to apologize to the good professor. It's not a very good idea to wait until the next class, unless you're willing to throw your grades away for this semester."

"Yeah, I know," Keisuke waved the thought away idly.

He had to do something about it, that much was true. His grades had been just fine up until now. Well, maybe he needed to punch up his grades a bit on the final... but that wasn't exactly what he had in mind.

"Maybe I'll bring him some coffee or something. Think he'd like that? Or maybe he's more of a tea kinda guy," Keisuke said as he slid into Tetsuya's passenger seat.

"Hey, do you have any other classes today?"

Tetsuya snorted as he started the car, buckled himself in, and pulled out of the lot. "I wouldn't know, Keisuke. I've never asked what the prof likes, and I never needed to." He shook his head amusedly. "Seriously, man, why didn't you get your usual caffeine dose earlier? You know as well I do—better, really--that you're pretty useless in the morning without coffee."

He flipped on the radio as he navigated the streets and the rush hour traffic. Nothing but talk shows. He kept one eye on the road and the other on the radio as he idly cycled through stations looking for something at least vaguely decent to listen to.

"Mm, no more in the morning for me," he replied. "Got a psych class at one in the afternoon, though. You?" They'd exchanged class schedules earlier in the semester... but that was a month or two ago, and he'd long forgotten Keisuke's lineup of classes by now. They only met on the weekends or holidays or during noontime for lunch or in the afternoon after college ended anyway.

"Maybe you should. Might help make up for all the classes you missed. Though you might be lucky this time, I seriously think he might've forgotten who you are," Keisuke said as he played with the air conditioner vents.

With a sigh he leaned back in his seat.

"I just didn't have any time to stop this morning. Mom didn't put the pot on either."

He yawned, almost as if to accent the statement and slumped down in his seat.

"That's my only class for the day. If I had to take 8am physics I wanted to at least be able to sleep in the rest of the day. Looks like I'll be spending today studying instead. We've got a few hours before I have to get to the library so I can catch everyone when they come out of class."

Keisuke folded his hands on his stomach. He could feel his eyes starting to drift shut on him now that he was sitting in Tetsuya's remarkably comfortable passenger seat.

"I think it'll take a lot more than bringing the prof his favorite drink to curry favor with him," Tetsuya said dryly. He idly tapped one finger against the wheel as he waited at a red light. "I'm rather hard to miss, with these shades and good looks, and I prefer it that way, but in this case, I'm joining you in  
hoping that he's forgotten me. After all, I am both instigator and accomplice in your hasty escape."

The light turned green, and he smoothly pressed down on the accelerator. The rush hour was piling minutes to the time it normally took to get to the cafe, but he didn't mind. Neither of them were in a rush. After all, they had the rest of the morning to while away.

"I hope you won't mind if I join you in that studying," Tetsuya sighed, raking one hand through his hair. "The test is coming up soon, and I really needed that review to fill in what I missed." He shot Keisuke a sour look. "And since I'm missing that review too thanks to you, you should make it up to me. Maybe we ought to head to the library sooner so you can properly tutor me."

He briefly wondered if Keisuke was listening. The other guy was practically nodding off in his seat. Tetsuya couldn't really blame him--the seats were comfy, and the heaters were keeping the autumn chill nicely at bay--but they were only about a minute or two away from the coffee shop. And he knew from  
firsthand experience how difficult it was to wake Keisuke up from a sound sleep.

His lips twitched in a brief, mischievous smile, and he pressed a few buttons on the radio, fiddling with the balance and volume controls a bit before blaring the latest single from L'Arc-en-Ciel entirely from the passenger side speakers at decibels just above what people considered acceptable.

What was Tetsuya saying? Something about studying? That was all the more reason to just let himself drift back into slumber. Ah, bliss.

Before he even knew he'd actually fallen asleep, just as he was beginning to float into a dream, he was abruptly woken up. Sitting straight up in his chair, the remnants of a yell on his lips, Keisuke realized what had happened. Tetsuya had taken the opportunity to blast his favorite band right into Keisuke's dreamland.

"What the hell are you trying to do, kill me?" Keisuke asked, sitting back into his chair, clutching his chest.

His heart was still beating wildly, adrenaline pumping through his body. Man, today was just not the day to fall asleep, was it? He was about to say something else when they finally pulled into the cafe's parking lot. As soon as the car was at a complete stop, Keisuke jumped out of the car.

"Just for that, you're buying," he grinned boyishly and dashed into the shop.

Tetsuya snorted as he got out and locked up the car. Likely Keisuke would've pinned the bill on him regardless if Tetsuya had interrupted his sleep or not; after all, every other week Tetsuya had to spring some beer money or something other small sum for Keisuke. He was lucky that Tetsuya didn't bother keeping track of all the loans, or else he'd probably pass out from knowing how much he totally owed his friend over the past few years.

Luckily for Keisuke, Tetsuya was rather blasé about the whole thing. "It's only money" was his favorite motto, and only one that could apply to the wealthy and well-to-do. Which he was a part of, incidentally, even though he didn't flaunt it overtly.

Tetsuya gave his car a last look-over, was satisfied that everything was properly shut off and secured, and followed his friend into the shop at a more leisurely pace.

"The largest size you got of Komodo Dragon Blend... oh and a triple espresso," Keisuke ordered.

If he was going to stay awake today, he'd clearly need something extra strength. Sure, there'd be that inevitable downslide, in which he'd basically pass out in his books, but right now, he was anticipating that initial jolt of phenomenal coffee power.

"Grande Komodo Dragon and triple espresso," the unfortunately middle-aged man behind the counter called out.

Keisuke grabbed his order and shuffled over to a table to dump some sugar into his espresso. Just a spoonful of sugar would help the medicine go down. He eyed Tetsuya waiting for his order. Though he'd never admit it, and it sometimes made him a little jealous, it was nice having a friend with money and class. Maybe sometime, someday, in the way, way future, he'd pay him back for all this.

...or maybe he'd just tutor him a bit in the stuff he missed in class.

Tokyo City Central Library, late morning

Tetsuya idly leafed through his notes, murmuring various formulae under his breath. Right now he and Keisuke were holed up in the library, busy reviewing (at least in Tetsuya's case) for the upcoming exam. It had taken some effort to pry Keisuke away from the coffee shop and put him in the passenger seat of the car, but Tetsuya was nothing if persistent and determined, and eventually they wound up here. They'd taken over one end of one of the long tables, textbooks, notes, and reference texts they'd plucked from the shelves spread across the laminated wooden surface.

Ostensibly Keisuke was here to study with Tetsuya and tutor him in the sections he'd missed, but Tetsuya could tell that his heart really wasn't into it and that he was paying more attention to the (admittedly good-looking) librarian at the reference desk instead. Tetsuya rolled his eyes behind his shades, which he refused to take off even indoors, and tossed an eraser at Keisuke's head.

"Pay attention, will ya?" he grumbled.

Yui took the brief break to pull out the book she had been reading on the train. She wanted to see if the handsome knight would make it in time to save his best friend from the dragon's lair. She had just gotten to the part where the best friend had tricked the guards into giving him their weapons when the teacher returned.

She hid the book back in her bag as she gave the sensei her attention.

"A water pipe has burst above the chemistry room," he informed them. "That resulted in the stink bomb smell coming from the hall way. The principal has no choice, but cancel school for the rest of the week. Class is dismissed-"

The students erupted in cheers and Yui could not make out the rest of their sensei's speech. She placed her books back into her bag and headed for the exit. She should have waited for she met some pushing and shoving before forced out the door into the hall way. Only to meet more shoving and pushing as the other students spilled out of their classes to head for the exit. By the time she made it outside she broke away to catch her breath. She had lost Miaka temporarily, but found her in record time.

"Miaka, I need to stop at the library to drop off a book and was hoping you come with me. It should only take a few minutes and when I'm done we could get lunch. So do you want to come?" She asked her friend.

Miaka snapped out of her daydream when the class erupted, ruining a perfectly good fantasy. The most handsome, cool, interesting guy in school (who didn't exist in reality) had picked her over Tomoyo, the most popular girl in school. He had been feeding her ice cream when Sensei had interrupted everything. She watched as the other students hurried out of class, Yui included. Miaka stood and pushed her way through the crowd, finding Yui again.

"Figures your idea of fun would be going to a stuffy old library." But if it was going to be quick, and there was food waiting for her afterwards..

"Deal. But afterwards I get to go to the arcade."

Yui smiled back at Miaka, happy that she agreed with the idea. She looked at her watch.

"The next train is in fifteen minutes. We'd better hurry!" She headed toward the train stop knowing Miaka would fall in step with her. She knew her mother wouldn't be at all happy about school being shut down for an entire week. To her, it just meant her daughter would have to study much harder than the rest without the assistance of her Sensei.

_Sure I have to keep up with my studies, but one day of relaxation wasn't going to hurt. It's not like I'll lose track of the time._

Miaka nodded and followed Yui, like usual. She was miles behind her friend in her studies, her abilities, and her looks. When they finally stood at the station where the train would soon arrive, she began rocking her weight from the balls of her feet to the heels, and back again, restless. Before long the train pulled up and all the people poured out into the station. Miaka struggled through the crowd and stepped onto the train behind her friend.

"Where do ya wanna go to eat afterwards?" She asked Yui.

"We could try that new sushi restaurant. I believe it is two blocks from the library." She informed her friend.  
"Do you want to go there or do you have a craving for a particular food?" She asked as they entered the library.

Miaka looked up at her friend. "Nope, sushi sounds good to me!"

Their trip was short and in a few stops they arrived at their destination. Yui followed Miaka off the train. They crossed the street and headed for the building.

Miaka looked at the library in awe. "It's so big!"

Yui laughed. Miaka's excited innocence always kept her amused. "You've never been to the library before?"

Miaka laughed, embarrassed. She'd been past the building once or twice but that was only on her way to get ice cream. "So are you getting a book or returning one?"

"I'm returning a book today," Yui replied. She pulled out the thick book containing poems by American poets. She made her way to the reference desk with Miaka walking beside her. Yui placed the book in the return slot and smiled at the librarian. "Don't worry, this won't take long Miaka."

Miaka was watching Yui's face and she knew instantly what the expression on her face meant. "It's okay. You can check something else out. I'm not too hungry… yet."

"Really?" Yui couldn't hide the fact that she was surprised Miaka would volunteer to stay longer in the library with her. She had to fight the urge to see if her friend was running a fever. "I just wanted to see if they got the new science journal in this month," Yui replied. "Their magazines and journals are on the second floor." She walked to the staircase with Miaka.

"At least I can tell my Mom that I was at the library today and it won't be a lie." Miaka chewed her lip, nervously. She had been fighting with her mother non-stop for as far back as she could remember, usually about her studies. She couldn't blame her mother for being hard on her. Only Jonan High School would do for _her_ daughter. Miaka tried to shake off the pressure, subconsciously blaming the library for making her think about things she didn't want to think about.

Together, Yui and Miaka walked past the door to the restricted section and headed for the magazine rack that would contain the Science journal.

A red light began to filter into the library, made up of tiny particles gathering together from every corner of the building and beyond. They coalesced into the shape of a bird, and the bird flew streaming through rooms, down corridors, between shelves and rows of books. No one seemed to notice; indeed, this specter of divine red light could only be seen by a precious chosen few. Perhaps only the brown-haired girl standing by the magazine rack, waiting for her friend.

The bird swept past the girl and disappeared through a door behind her. The sign on the door read "Important Documents Reference Room."

Yui sighed heavily, unable to find the newest Science Monthly on the rack. Miaka watched her friend searching for a copy hidden in the back and turned her head to look at the more popular magazines from America when something red caught her eye.

She looked in the direction the flash had gone but a particular door caught her eye. Her feet moved her without her conscious being aware of it. She stopped in front of the door and looked up at the sign that read "Important Documents Reference Room."

"Hmmm… did it come from here?"

Yui ran up behind Miaka, stopping her from going inside. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"I thought I saw something… it went in there. What's in this room?"

Yui furrowed her brow. To her knowledge, all the reference books and important documents were either on the first or basement level of the library. Before she could say anything, Miaka's hand reached for the door knob and to her astonishment the door was open. They slightly pushed it open to reveal a room with columns of bookcases filled with hundreds upon hundreds of books. The room would have been in complete darkness if not for the small window sending in light from outside.

Yui shrugged her shoulders. "You were probably imagining things." She grabbed the door knob to close it.

"Wait! There! Did you see that?" Miaka pushed the door back open. "I thought I saw a red and golden light swishing behind one of the bookcases." She dropped her book bag just inside the door so she could investigate the strange light.

Tetsuya was strolling down the length of several bookshelves, running his eyes across thick binders of archived magazines. If he recalled correctly, there'd been an article a few years back in relation to what he and Keisuke were poring over right now. Something about revised formulae that could help, and since the article had been in a more general informative mag rather than a technical one, they'd been broken down into layman's terms...

If only he could find it. He'd tried asking the library staff, but neither they nor the online database had turned up any specifics. All they could do was to point him in a general direction; he'd have to narrow it down himself. Tetsuya grumbled under his breath. If the staff couldn't help with requests like his, what were they for anyway?

A shiver ran up his spine at that moment, and he straightened from his perusal of several binders on the lower shelves. _What was that?_ He turned but saw nothing of interest. Keisuke was at the far end of the room, still engrossed in whatever he was doing. Tetsuya's brow furrowed as he took a second look at his friend. Was that a manga in front of Keisuke? Ungrateful kid; he could at least help. Tetsuya knew that was a bit irrational - after all, it was Tetsuya who was looking for the article, not Keisuke, and besides, Keisuke was already helping by tutoring him.

Maybe it had been nothing. Tetsuya had always been a bit jumpy; some, in their spite or disdain, called him paranoid or high-strung. Likely he was just getting spooked. It probably was just residual nerves left from this morning's misadventure back at the university.

He was about to turn back to the shelf when a half-open door nearby caught his eye. Odd. He could've sworn that it had been closed when he'd started searching the bookcases. He glanced across to the table he'd been sharing with Keisuke, but his friend was still too absorbed in his own amusement to pay any attention to him. Tetsuya looked back at the door again. Maybe it had just been a librarian going in.

If that was the case, now was a good time to see if the staff could be bothered again to help him in his search. He crossed over to the door, pushed it open... and nearly tripped over a book bag. He stared at it confusedly. Did librarians use things like these? Or did it mean that it hadn't been a librarian who'd come in here?

Tetsuya looked up again and advanced deeper into the room. It took his eyes a while to adjust to the barely-lit room, and he was tempted to take off his shades to see better, but his night vision had always been superb. Just give him some more time.

"Hello?" he called uncertainly. "Anyone here?"

Miaka started moving down the aisle glancing at the dust-covered books. She could tell that despite her complaints, Yui was excited by all the books that were generally kept far away from public eyes. She stopped suddenly at the sound of a male voice.

Miaka's eyes jumped to the door and then at Yui. Could it be the librarian? Miaka peered through the bookcase, wondering if he knew they were in the room, or if he was just obligated to check because the door was open.

Tetsuya stepped deeper into the room, a bit puzzled. Shouldn't he have garnered a response by now? For a moment he was tempted to drop this thing and rejoin Keisuke outside, but now curiosity had him firmly in its grip. What difference would it make whether he went out now or later?

Tetsuya paused in mid-step as his eyes finally adjusted. The place was larger than he'd originally thought. What room was this? He hadn't been paying much attention to the sign when he'd come in. He made a mental note to check on his way out.

"Hello?" he repeated. "Anyone in here?"

Yui looked at Miaka with worried eyes. If it were the librarian, the worst they would get was a stern lecture. She tried to peer behind the books like Miaka, but was not successful. Her left hand brushed a book aside causing another book falling to the floor.

The sound of the fallen book caused Yui to jump back. There was no doubt in her mind that the librarian heard the noise. She looked to Miaka for their next move.

Miaka gasped, and grabbed her Yui's wrist, pulling her down. She looked over at the man in question and then at the door.

Tetsuya paused in mid-step as he tried to place the sound. Had the other person in here knocked over a book or something? That was quickly followed by what sounded like a gasp, followed by something else he couldn't quite place. With those three, he was able to place the general direction they had been coming from. Now more curious than anything else, he oriented himself and started down the aisle. So far none of his queries had been met with any appropriate response, and between the bag next to the half-open door and the sounds, Tetsuya was beginning to suspect that whoever was in here wasn't really supposed to be here.

Like himself.

At the moment, though, that fact had flown very easily and neatly over his head. Tetsuya opened his mouth and was about to voice a general query yet again when he rounded a corner and wound up walking directly into someone else.

Damn dark room. Maybe he should have looked for the light switch earlier. Maybe he'd do that once he'd extricated himself from the tangle of arms and legs he was currently in.

Yui glanced back at the fallen book, not paying attention to where Miaka was pulling her. She should have been shocked, but wasn't, when they collided with someone. Yui dropped Miaka's arm for her own safety but lost her footing, causing her to fall and land backwards onto someone. After she waited for the dizziness to subside, Yui reopened her eyes.

Miaka's eyes widened as Yui let go and tumbled back. Somehow, she'd been able to avoid being the clumsy one for once.

The unexpected collision had rocked Tetsuya back, and someone stumbling into him while he was still off-balance only worsened the problem. Down he went with a thump; whoever had bumped followed him along the way, using his body to soften the landing.

"Urk," Tetsuya noised. He could only pray that the person lying on top of him wasn't a thrasher, or else he'd be in some pain right now. Thankfully, after a beat or two, it became apparent that whoever it was had a level head on his or her shoulders. Or was still disoriented.

"Sorry," Yui said as she became more adventurous to untangle herself.

A girl, he realized when the figure lying on top of him spoke. Young-sounding… too young to be a librarian. That was only reinforced when she turned and he got his first look at her face. Someone moved in his peripheral vision, and he spotted another girl standing nearby looking down at them curiously.

"Um..." Tetsuya said, looking at the girl lying on top of him. "Sorry about this. Are you alright?"

Just as it had seemed to calm down from running into each other, an old brown book tumbled off the shelf across from the two on the floor, landing on its binding and falling open on the first page of a story.

"Miaka are you okay?" She asked her friend. After struggling Yui flipped over to look into hopefully the face of her friend, but she was wrong. Instead she was currently looking into the handsome face of a young man whom she judged was too young to be a librarian.

With a look of confusion Miaka stepped forward, trying to make out the silhouettes of the two intertwined people on the floor. "For a change, yes. But who is that you're hugging?"

Miaka looked down where the book fell and at her friend, as well as the unexpected guest. It certainly was strange, a book falling from its home on a shelf, without being disturbed. She passed it off as being knocked of the shelf as a result of the fall, though none of the other books seemed to have been moved in the disruption.

Embarrassed and very aware of her surroundings, Yui managed to make nodding motions with her head and then quickly scrambled off the man whom they had mistaken earlier for a librarian. She stood up next to Miaka and looked everywhere but at the young man still on the floor. Her cheeks still felt flushed.

Nana was one of Keisuke's guilty pleasures. He certainly couldn't be caught buying something so unmanly, so reading it at the library was good enough for him. He was glued to the story of the two girls in the big city, hidden within the protective covers of Fun with Physics, until the very last page. It was then he looked up and noticed his entire reason for being in the library in the first place was missing.

"Tetsuya?" he called, which earned a prompt "Shhh!" from the other patrons of the library.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Leaving his reading material haphazardly on the table, he rose to search for his buddy. Where did he go? He had to be on his way to the science section. He didn't leave without him, did he? That'd suck, he'd have to find public transportation, and was that any way to treat the guy who offered to tutor you?

It was then that he heard whispered voices from an open door. The room looked dark and the sign outside the door meant that it was off limits for visitors. Were two lovers using this room as a place to consummate their secret illicit love affair? For shame, for shame!

Keisuke glanced from side to side then snuck inside the room. To his surprise, he found the lovers, tangled up on the floor, and... his sister, watching them?!

"Te-Tetsuya?!" he cried, before slapping his hands over his mouth.

Thankfully, it soon became apparent that there was nothing going on between Tetsuya and Yui, who was sitting in his lap, but they seemed rather to have just met each other.

Tetsuya rose to his feet, adjusting his shades, which had been knocked askew in the collision. The girl he'd walked into was looking at everywhere but him, but he didn't hold it against her--he was feeling rather embarrassed and foolish himself.

He coughed lightly. "Um...again, sorry. Glad to see you're alright. I'm..."

At that moment Miaka's brother, Keisuke, came walking around the corner.

"Miaka?" he exclaimed. Confusion and shock were seen clearly on his face. He was looking for Tetsuya, but was surprised to find his sister and her friend instead.

Tetsuya blinked curiously--had that been recognition in his friend's voice?

"...this guy's friend," he said without missing a beat, gesturing at Keisuke, "My name's Tetsuya. Tetsuya Kawajiri." He turned to face Keisuke. "You know them, Keisuke?"

Stepping further inside, Keisuke shut the door behind himself, and used the pull chain to turn the only light source in the room on.

"Of course I know her, she's my little sister. You met her like twenty times. And this is her best friend, Hongo Yui. What the heck are you all doing in here?" he questioned.

Her attention was divided between the book, the newcomer, her friend, and the familiarity of the voice from the door; Miaka's eyes searched the room quickly, and landed on her big brother, Keisuke. She smiled and laughed nervously, hoping he hadn't bothered to read the door, so he'd have no reason to be angry with her. "Hello Nii-chan."

Keisuke's sister? Tetsuya gave her a second, more critical look. Oh. So it was. He'd been paying too much attention to the other girl--Yui--to actually recognize Miaka. And besides...

"Not twenty times, more like twice," he hissed at Keisuke.

In the shadows of the bookshelf, the book still seemed to be illuminated. There was a strange attraction Miaka was feeling toward the book, almost like a magnetic pull. Something certainly was strange about it. "What's that?" She asked everyone and no one.

Forgetting his annoyance at the strange situation, Keisuke walked over and picked up the book. He skimmed the first page.

"I don't know. It doesn't look like it's in Japanese."

Yui gave a polite, apologetic nod in Tetsuya's direction and then turned to look at the book Miaka had pointed too. She moved closer to Keisuke and Miaka to see the wording.

"Keisuke could you hold it a little lower for the rest of us to see please?" She asked politely.

What little light there was in the room was eclipsed by the increasing number of shadows, so Keisuke set the book down on a footstool and stepped to the side to allow Yui a look at the book.

It didn't occur to him that he'd been sidetracked so easily. Nor that they were in a forbidden section of the library. As soon as Miaka had mentioned it, he couldn't look away. This book was fascinating, somehow, almost, magnetic? He could feel himself drawn towards it, as if the cells in his body were reacting with the pages.

Tetsuya glanced at the book. "Kanji," he noted. "Not your typical ones either." He stepped closer to the stool and frowned. "Traditional Chinese characters. Not sure which particular script it is."

That was as much as he could tell by looking at it. Unfortunately, he was neither a linguist nor an etymologist--anything more was beyond him. "What's this book called?"

Miaka felt a sudden sense of urgency to touch the book. Between Yui and her big brother, they'd taken away her discovery. Miaka stumbled around, trying to see the book from between Yui and Keisuke. She muttered something about seeing it first.

"Chinese, maybe?" She questioned with a whiny tone. "Lemme see!" She hopped up on her toes still too short to see the poorly illuminated page.

Without a moment to lose, Miaka reached between them and snatched the book up. She looked at the first line and studied each character with an odd expression on her face.

"Herein contains the tale of a young lady and her quest to gather the seven constellations of Suzaku together. And if you, the esteemed reader, should read to the story's end, the spell contained within this book shall bestow upon you the powers of the heroine, and grant you your wish. When the page is turned, the story will become the truth and begin."

Miaka squinted and looked at the others. "Suzaku? What's a Suzaku? What's that supposed to mean?" She looked back down at the book and pulled up the bottom corner of the next page and slowly turned it.

Yui had been intrigued when Miaka mentioned it had might be written in Chinese. She watched the page as Miaka read it aloud, shocked by Miaka's learning abilities. She was proud of her friend's translation, but felt a twinge of sadness that she wasn't the one reading the story.

Yui replayed the words in her head. To her the story sounded like one of those fantasy novels she had been reading.

As they all stood there, looking perplexed over the translation, a red light began to emanate from the open pages of the book. It grew in intensity, getting brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding. Then with one final flash, the light dimmed, leaving the room just as it had been, except for one thing.

All four people were gone.

The book remained open, on the floor where it had fallen.


	5. Chapter 4

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Eiyou Palace Courtyard; Afternoon

Houjun stepped into the sunshine, blinking for a moment behind his mask. After so many long hours in the library he felt that a break for food and fresh air was called for. A quick glance told him that other than the guards the courtyard was empty. While the solitude was nice he almost wished for company after the intense research. Still, the air was sweet and the noise from the rest of the city was muted by the walls of the yard.

Rather than sitting he walked for a bit, stretching his legs. The rings on his shakajou jingled with each step, drawing the momentary attention of guards in earshot before they realized who was there. A few minutes of walking had eased the ache in his muscles and he began to wonder where Kaen had wandered off to. Houjun hadn't seen her much during her recovery and while she was a very capable young woman he still had concern for her condition until she was fully healed.

His ramblings about the courtyard had brought him to a long stone bench and he sat, stretching his legs out before him. _Ah well, _he thought, _she'll be around, no da. She'll no doubt let her presence be known when she wants to._ He smiled behind the mask at that thought and tilted his face up to the sky, enjoying the warmth of the sun.

_Perhaps I'll go fishing, no da._

***

Tetsuya was falling. He had absolutely no idea why he was falling, nor did he have any idea where he was. No, that wasn't quite right. He knew where he was, technically speaking. Somewhere in the sky. Falling.

He just didn't know how he'd gotten here. There had been a flash of light, then the sensation of being yanked, somehow, and now he was _falling._ Through the air. Approaching terminal velocity. This, some distant part of himself noted, was Not Good (tm).

But exactly where _was_ he? Tetsuya looked around frantically, hoping against hope that that was only some kind of bizarre dream or there'd be a rope or something nearby that could help him slow his fall, but all he saw were a bunch of buildings. The architecture seemed a bit odd, but he didn't really have the heart to comment on it right now. The wind was whistling past his ears, through his hair, ruffling his clothes; by some bizarre miracle, his shades were still on his face, though they were in danger of flying off at any moment.

He caught a glimpse of solid land beneath him. Which meant he was probably going to die. Now panic began flooding in.

"Gyaaaaaaaahhhh!"

His yell was abruptly cut off when he crashed into the courtyard pool, sending up a gigantic splash. Luckily, it was the deep end.

Having finally decided that today was indeed a day that called for fishing Houjun stood from the bench and stretched. "Daaaaa...," he sighed feeling better for being out in the sun. He had turned and started back toward the palace for his fishing pole when a flash of warning streaked across his senses. He tensed, the rings on his shakajou clinking and his hand gripped it tighter. He had only a moment to wonder at the source of the feeling when he heard a shout of terror. He turned toward the sound in time to see a form fall into the pool nearby.

At the sound of the splash Houjun didn't hesitate. He ran for the pool at top speed wondering if whatever, or whomever, had fallen in had survived. At the edge of the pool he dropped his staff and dove into the still upset waters.

After a moment of searching he located the format the bottom of the pool; it was definitely a person. He swam over as quickly as his legs could kick and grabbed the unlucky stranger by the neck of his shirt. With a strong push off from the bottom he struggled for the surface his lungs now letting him know that air would be a nice option.

Finally they broke the surface and Houjun took a deep breath before swimming to the edge with the stranger. He pushed the limp form over and out of the water before climbing out himself. He examined the stranger and realized that he was breathing normally. Houjun breathed a sigh of relief.

Now that he was satisfied that the stranger would wake in a few moments he took a closer look at the odd attire that was now soaked through. Besides being recognizable as a shirt and pants it was completely unfamiliar. The cut of it was unusual and not one that he recognized.

Deciding that he could find out more later he leaned over the man's form and spoke softly, "Can you hear me, no da?"

Eiyou; afternoon

Kaen was secretly grateful that Houjun had brought her to the palace, even though she spent most of her time there feeling uncomfortable. She had a small, plain room away from everything. People brought her food. They washed her clothes and repaired a few tears she hadn't even noticed.

And baths. Glorious baths.

She knew better than to allow herself to relax and become complacent. They were probably just trying to lull her into a false sense of security. And she certainly wasn't going to socialize with the fluttering fool courtiers. The men were pigs and the women were pathetic. And it wasn't as if any of them were exactly falling over themselves to speak to her anyway. She was rather frightening.

She spent her time resting and recovering from her fatigue and injuries. She couldn't rest too long if she wanted to stay in fighting condition, but she needed to heal. She found a few books to read and paper -- what a luxury, paper! -- so that she could write a few poems, which she immediately tore up and threw away once they were written. She hid away in her room and spoke to no one but the servant girls that occasionally appeared at her door. It felt strange to be waited on, but she couldn't exactly do everything for herself here.

After a few days, she felt well enough to start being up and about again. She rose early, when only servants were awake and about, and put on her armor. She would go out into the city today, to stretch her legs and become familiar with the place. Maybe she would begin to look for work, though she wasn't really healed enough for a fight.

Kaen stopped by the kitchen (she followed a servant there) and asked a (thankfully) female cook if she could have a few buns to take with her, so she wouldn't have to worry about buying food. She even managed to smile while asking, because the woman was quite nice. She left not only with buns, but with a piece of fruit for breakfast.

As Kaen walked through the city streets, things were a little busier there. Farmers were bringing in their vegetables to sell. Children sat on steps, eating rice and watching the people in the street sleepily. She headed directly out of the city, memorizing the way to the palace as she went. She wanted to start on the outside and work her way in as she explored.

***

Keisuke's eyes filled with red light, and he threw his hands up in front of his face to block it. The next few moments were a blur as the vertigo took hold, and he was flying... no, falling through the air with nothing to hold onto. Colors and light danced around his body and through his mind. He'd never been one to take drugs, but he would've bet his life that this was rather close to that experience.

When he came to, he was laying sprawled out in the dirt, a tuft of ill-kept grass tickling his ear. Placing his hands on the ground, he pushed himself up, and took a bleary-eyed look around.

He was surrounded by traditional looking buildings. People in peasant garb carrying produce. Children playing in the dirt--or eyeing him strangely, one or the other.

He must've fallen unconscious. That had to be it. Right?

A child threw a stick at him, convinced he was an apparition. It whacked him near the eye.

"Ow!" he yelled, fingering the fresh cut on his face.

No... not dreaming.

"Cut it out!" he said, causing the children to scream and scatter.

Okay so if he wasn't dreaming then... then... where the heck was he?

"Miaka...? Tetsuya...? Yui...? Librarian-san?" he asked, scanning the area for a familiar face, a vending machine, anything he could recognize.

***

Kaen paused by the mat of an old, female farmer to eat one of the buns she'd taken from the kitchen. She made small talk with the old woman, asking her of the weather in this strange country, and then gave her a bun as well.

As she was finishing the last few bites of the sticky pastry, several children ran by, shrieking about a strange man in strange clothes. They were gone, disappearing down the street before Kaen had even managed to stand all the way up.

It was probably just a game they were playing, but they had seemed a bit too frightened for that. Something just wasn't right. There was no way of knowing what they'd actually been screaming about, but Kaen couldn't shake the idea of a bandit man assaulting children from her mind. Her mouth set in a grim line. Just to be certain, she'd best check things out.

She headed back the way the children had come from. There was a gathering crowd of peasants, murmuring and pointing. Kaen elbowed her way through, ready to deal out some swift justice.

Then she stopped, and stared. What on earth was that man _wearing_? And what was wrong with his hair?

Keisuke was starting to get frustrated. People were _staring_ at him. When he tried to ask simple questions such as: "How are you?", "Where am I?", and "Do you speak Japanese?" but he was met with nothing but a collective blank stare.

Oh man, what the heck was going on?

A woman dressed in burgundy armor pushed her way towards him. Keisuke felt his jaw drop just a little. Was this some kind of crazy anime otaku convention? Even if it was, that was some damn nice craftsmanship on her outfit. (She was pretty hot too).

"Hey!" he called to her, "My name is Yuuki Keisuke. Can you tell me what convention this is? Or if you've seen a dark haired guy with sunglasses," he motioned as if he was adjusting sunglasses on his face.

"Or a girl with odango hair?" he patted the back of his head with both hands.

"Or a girl with short blonde hair?" he had nothing for that one.

"I guess I got lost and passed out or something, and I woke up here. So, well... where is here?" he questioned nervously.

***

Chiriko slowed his hurried steps as he passed by the crowd, catching a glimpse of the strange man there. It looked like he was trying to communicate, but there was nothing intelligible about his speech.

_Maybe he's a foreigner_.

Then Chiriko noticed the Amazon in armor. She wasn't from this country, that was for sure. But she seemed to have just as much trouble understanding him as everyone else.

_He doesn't look like he's insane, though. Those motions of his are a little strange, though._

Chiriko blinked a bit more, looking to see whether or not the man would say or do something intelligible.

***

Kaen tilted her head slightly to the side as the man spoke - she supposed the strange sounds coming from his mouth was some sort of language - and then began gesturing wildly. A quick glance around told her that everyone else was just as confused as she, though many of their expressions were becoming more speculative. As much as she didn't want to be saddled with this sort of problem, she had a feeling that if she left this strange looking man here, he would soon be at the very least bereft of both money and clothing, if not left for dead.

She sighed, then said loudly, "Look at him! I think he's insane! A foreigner like him may have any kind of strange disease. Stand back!" She shoved the people nearest to her back, to get them to start moving. "I will risk my own life to protect you from this man's madness." She saw one of the more enterprising people in the crowd bend to pick up a stone and pointed at him. "Would you bring the wrath of gods down on us? I will cut off your hand!"

That got them moving faster.

Keisuke jumped back and threw his arms up in front of himself as she began yelling at the crowd. They all scuttled backward at her command.

What language was that? It sounded familiar. Almost like... Chinese? Okay, so maybe he was wrong about that anime convention thing. But how the hell did he end up in China? And what cities in China still looked like this?

Kaen reached out and grabbed the strange young man by the back of his -shirt? jacket? - whatever it was, much like a mother cat would scruff its kitten. "I don't know what you are," she said, more trying to set her own actions right in her mind than communicate with this male she was being forced to touch, "but I imagine the monk will know what to do with you."

Keisuke was still quietly wracking his brain for old history lessons when the woman in armor grabbed him by his jacket collar and hoisted him up.

"Woah!" he cried, half in surprise and half in appreciation of her strength. This was no simple otaku, this girl had _muscles_.

After they cleared the crowd he weaseled out of her grip, and she let him walk alone. Having no other ideas, he followed along. He tried to keep a watchful eye out for anyone he recognized, but how could he keep his eyes off her for too long? He'd never seen a woman like her. Well, except maybe those crazy wrestler chicks Miaka always watched... but they were a helluva lot uglier.

As an afterthought, Kaen took her last bun and shoved it into one of his hands. Maybe if she gave him something to eat, he would stop spouting his bizarre words at her.

When a bun appeared in his hands, Keisuke stared down at it for a moment. She was feeding him? Well, he was pretty hungry, and she had no real reason to poison him... or did she? He examined it carefully, but decided it was probably safe, and if it helped clear his muddled head to eat then so be it. He bit into the bun and swallowed a mouthful before speaking to the woman.

As Kaen made her way through the streets, back toward the palace, she kept a close eye on the foreigner. If anyone got too close for her comfort, she shoved them away or put her hand on the hilt of her sword, to let them know that she had little patience.

"So I'm guessing that means you don't speak Japanese. I uh... I'm..." he pointed to himself and spoke slowly, "Yuuki Keisuke".

The strange man was quiet for a while. When he spoke again, she looked at him from the corner of her eye, not wanted to take the bulk of her attention off the street. She wasn't certain what he was saying, of course, but the last part was probably his name. Well, that was useful.

"Yuuki Keisuke," she repeated.

Keisuke smiled broadly in response. She understood his name! He waited expectantly for her answer.

Kaen watched the man. If he did something patronizing like clap his hands, she was going to punch him. And even though he couldn't understand her, she gave him a very standard answer. She wasn't interested in some sort of world-bridging exchange of names; right now, she just wanted to get her unwelcome charge to the palace without further incident. "You haven't earned the right to learn of my name. Follow, and be silent."

Keisuke's smile twisted. That... was either a very, very long name or no name at all.

She kept walking. When the crowd was thicker, she would pull him along by the sleeve, though she was careful never to actually touch his skin. He was male, and he was a foreigner. Only the goddess could know what manner of diseases he might have.

Puzzled, he continued to walk alongside the warrior woman in silence (for the moment). Looking around made him feel uncomfortable, as people would gawk, point, gasp, or shuffle away as he walked past. He wanted to say something to them, to help ease their minds a little, but he really doubted that'd work, and the more he saw the haunted expressions in their eyes, the more he realized that he was the one in need of comfort and protection.

He stuck close to the woman whose name he still didn't know and continued to scan the crowds for his sister and their respective best friends.

***

The capital city was full of people; People shopping, people selling, people just out enjoying the day. Just the right kind of day to get some good business! Sou cleared his throat and jumped up to the nearest step to deliver his speech.

"Can I have your attention please?" When a few hurried faces turned up to look at him, he put on his best charming smile and got to work. "The city can be a dangerous place for anyone who is new or carrying expensive items." A few more people turned. "In a city lurking with danger one should always have someone to protect them from harm. Ladies, gentlemen (he hoped it would be a lady) I am Sou Kishiku, a professional body guard and the best price for your coin." Sou was lost in his speech. "Anyone in need of protection please step up and, for a small fee, I would be glad to accompany you." A long heartfelt bow followed and he hoped he would look up to see a beautiful girl in need of protection. Instead, he found that the few people whose attention he had captured had now turned towards a large gathering crown at the other end of the road. In fact, streets had nearly been swept to that side.

_Perfect_, he thought_, that speech was golden I couldn't use it more than once in the same spot_. With a sigh he jumped down from his soap box and sauntered over to see what all the commotion was about. Might as well get word on what was happening that had people so enthralled. He caught one mans arm.

"Could I ask what's going on up there?"

The man looked frightened and in a rush to leave. "There is a foreigner here at the palace, one dressed extremely oddly, never seen those kinds of clothes before," he nervously stuttered, "They're insane, keeps flailing their hands about and speaking in an odd tongue."

Sou let go of the man and let him scamper away. A foreigner huh? There was a brief thought he didn't bother to give attention before a stronger one popped in "Maybe she's in need of protection"

He pushed his way through the crowd towards the palace hoping to get a better look. Coming to the front of the crowd, Sou spotted the reason for the commotion. A tall, armor-clad warrior woman was dragging a seemingly helpless boy with her through the streets. He clicked his tongue just his luck, finally someone in need of protection and it's a guy. Oh well, money is money after all and we can't have warrior women dragging helpless men to be executed for being a little crazy.

"Oh There you are!" he shouted, waiving his hand above him and smiling a bit too wide. Here's hoping I don't get killed by her.

"I've been looking for you everywhere." He looked to the red clad woman. "He gets so confused after taking the herbs he needs for his condition. Never telling what nonsense he'll start spouting or what odd ..er... self made clothes he'll take from the closets." He turned his back to the woman and gave a quick wink to his hopefully future employer.

"Sorry for all the trouble he's caused you, I can take him off your hands now." He had started grabbing for the... whatever-it-was the man was wearing intending to push his head down and bow to the lady and be on their way.

Kaen slapped the hands of this new arrival away, half drawing her sword with the other to show that she meant business. She wasn't buying this story. They looked nothing alike, dressed nothing alike, and it was obvious that the simpleton was speaking a language, even if it was one she didn't understand. She didn't like being bothered, and she really didn't like being bothered by people that obviously thought she was stupid enough to buy such tripe.

Sou was watching the Amazon's eyes carefully. Nope. she wasn't buying it. He saw her hand go to her hilt and her eyes narrow.

"As an Amazon of Nyosei, it is my sworn duty to protect those that cannot protect themselves - like this poor, disturbed simpleton," she said, her voice strong and cold. "Keep your hands off of him or I will remove them with my blade."

Not waiting for a response, she grabbed the simpleton's sleeve, and pulled him back as she stepped forward, putting him in a protective position behind her. By accident, she touched the skin of his wrist. She'd just have to cleanse her hand very thoroughly later.

Kaen glared at the newcomer and hoped he'd back off. She could get away with shoving people around, she knew, but she had a feeling that if she actually killed someone, there might be trouble.

While being grabbed and shoved around like a doll, Keisuke tried to figure out what the heck was going on. That guy was trying to take him somewhere, but the woman with him was ready to fight for him.

Wait a minute... what if...

He envisioned himself tied up and placed before a fat, bald, ugly emperor, the warrior woman standing proudly next to him. She would hand him over for a good chunk of change, and with her happy sack of money, she'd be on her way. But his journey will have only begun.

They'd stick him in a cage and make him speak Japanese, and prod him with sticks, and point and laugh... and they'd charge admission. Their purses would grow fat as he grew thinner. They'd keep him fed only just enough to survive...

Or maybe they'd just kill him.

_Hmm, an Amazon, eh_? He didn't care for the way she was dragging the boy around, it certainly didn't look like she was trying to protect him, but he wasn't ready to shed blood over a matter of employment. It was up to him weather to end this peacefully or not.

Sou dropped his act, since it was no good anyway, and looked her in the eye sternly. "As long as he's in good hands." He hoped his expression communicated that if she did try anything he'd be there to save this guy. He'd follow them for a while and see where they were off to; to make sure she got his message.

Sou walked into the crowd. He turned his back and made sure he was a good enough distance away as not to be seen. He could afford to put a lot of distance between them; these two would be easy to spot.

The other guy backed off, and Keisuke opened his mouth to say something, but deflated when he realized they'd only hear gibberish.

Kaen gave the man one last long glare, just to make certain that he wasn't going to try to pull something funny. "No hands are better," she said firmly, and let her sword fall back into the sheath.

Only then did she look back at the simpleton. He looked so obviously distressed that she felt a small twinge of sympathy for him. He was male, and thus deserved to be treated as, well, furniture, but at the same time, he was obvious lost and confused and alone. And that, as much as she tried to put it from her mind, was a sensation she was more than familiar with.

She reached out and grabbed his sleeve again, but not as tightly as she had before; her hold was decidedly more gentle. And while she would have to pull the boy along, no doubt, she'd at least make the effort not to actively drag him.

He still looked rather distressed, though. Feeling awkward - she was good at cutting things apart, but he training had been decidedly lacking when it came to human relations - she leaned slightly toward him, so that he could hear. She still took care not to brush against him, or even allow her hair to touch him.

Keisuke didn't quite appreciate being yanked about like a child, but he decided it was best not to anger a woman with a sharp sword.

He spared a glance back at the man with the strange colored hair as he and his protector-captor-whatever started towards... wherever the heck they were going. When he faced forward again, she was leaning closer to him, which caused a light blush to creep unexpectedly across his face.

"Haku Kaen," she said quietly.

Perhaps at least having her name would help him feel better.

With that, she began to lead him toward the palace again.

Haku Kaen, she said. That sort of sounded like something he could understand. She didn't seem an especially stupid sort (in that she'd try and speak to him in her native tongue with no context), so he figured that it might be in response to his introduction from earlier. At least he had something he could pronounce to call her now, even if it ended up being something like, "I'll kill you later" in Chinese.

It wasn't long before they approached a massive red-roofed building that sprawled out the length of numerous city blocks. He stood staring for a moment, his eyes wide in awe. He stumbled as Haku Kaen dragged him forward. Wherever they were, it looked large, in charge, and full of military men.

What if she really was going to put him in prison? Or worse?

He wiggled his way out of her grasp at a moment when she wasn't paying close attention. What the heck could he say to her that would make her understand?

Keisuke pantomimed himself being taken into this building then kneeling in invisible chains at the feet of a leader. He then jumped back to his feet and imitated the emperor, crossing his arms in front of himself and pointing down at the ground, then making a motion like cutting his own neck.

He crooked both arms up in the air and mimed that he was being dragged, crying, and kicking. Then he held two invisible bars as if he were in a prison cell. Once he finished his miniature act, he shook his head violently to indicate his displeasure with being slated for a beheading.

He watched her for any signs of understanding.

As they approached the palace, the boy pulled away from Kaen and began gesturing wildly again. For a long moment, she watched his little pantomime like he'd unexpectedly grown a second head. Then it became plain what he was trying to convey. The corner of Kaen's mouth tilted up slightly. In spite of her best efforts, a small laugh escaped her mouth.

When he got to the bit where he pretended to chop his own head off, she couldn't hold it in any more. She laughed, her smile breaking out of hiding. Several women of Nyosei had told her she was beautiful when she smiled and laughed. That was why she never did.

When she laughed, Keisuke's eyes lit up, and he smiled in response. Amazing how much more at ease he felt now. Though he had no idea what she said to him next, he didn't feel as frightened anymore.

Kaen regained her composure quickly, so quickly that her break into laughter seemed like a dream. She shook her head at the boy gravely and spoke, hoping her tone would reinforce her words. "You are a silly boy, Yuuki Keisuke. You are under my protection. No harm will befall you." She reached out and gingerly patted his shoulder twice, just to emphasize that point. Maybe he wouldn't be so squirmy for these last few steps.

Then she grabbed his sleeve and marched him up the steps. The guards knew better than to interfere with her passing, though they looked at Keisuke strangely. As soon as Kaen entered the courtyard, a familiar figure sitting on a bench caught her eye. The monk. Just the person she needed.

She pulled the boy along until they were near the monk, then spoke. "Monk..." she corrected herself quickly, "Houjun, I found this wandering in the city. His name is Yuuki Keisuke, but all else that comes from his mouth is gibberish. He must be a foreigner, a simpleton, or perhaps both. I thought you would have a better idea of what to do with him than I."

There, duty discharged. She released the boy's sleeve and turned to go.

Houjun looked up from the bench where he watched the stranger he had pulled from the pool. Kaen's appearance and apparent health eased his earlier concerns but as he turned his gaze on the man she had dragged over he froze and called back to her retreating form. "Ano, do you know anything more about him?" He gestured to the resting form on the ground near him. "From the look of him I think he is connected with the gentleman I just fished out from the pool, no da."

He returned his gaze to the foreigner that she had brought and examined him closer while waiting to see if she was out of earshot yet. His clothes were of a similar cut but this one didn't have the same dark squares covering his eyes. Also in contrast he was much more awake and hopefully had some answers. Houjun wondered if he could do something about the "gibberish". _Perhaps a language from a land even further away. If so I can probably help with that, no da,_ he thought.

Once inside, the woman had abruptly shoved Keisuke toward some strange guy with a cornflower blue bangs-mohawk, and then she turned to go. So much for that.

He turned to the odd looking man when he spoke, but was drawn immediately to the person laying next to him.

"Tetsuya!" he cried.

He practically leapt onto the other man, threw his arms around him, and squeezed him so tight, that if he wasn't unconscious, he might be that way soon.

"Oh god, I thought I was going to die. There was that light, and then a kid threw a stick at me, and then a hot scary chick dragged me here, and some guy tried to steal me away, and I thought I was going to die!"

He pulled away from his best friend for a moment to look at his face. He, uh, he didn't look so good.

"Um, Tetsuya? Are you okay?" he asked, shifting his shades on his face to get a look at his eyes.

Tetsuya was semi-conscious. It was a testament to him that he wasn't completely unconscious, what with all the shocks to his system: a disorienting displacement, a long fall, a water landing, a near-drowning, and now a near-strangulation. One that was proceeding to complete strangulation, if Testuya didn't get free soon.

Tetsuya's eyes felt like they were spinning in their sockets. He shook his head, sputtered back to full consciousness, and shoved whoever it was grabbing him away. That cleared some space between himself and the other person, allowing Tetsuya coughed up whatever water he'd inadvertently sucked in during his brief stay underwater.

Once he was sure his lungs were clear, he sucked in a deep breath. And another. Air. Sweet, sweet air. His ears were buzzing, probably because he was hyperventilating, but he couldn't bring himself to care right now.

***

Sou had gone as far as he could. Now he stood just outside the gates contemplating what business an Amazon with foreigner in tow would have at the palace. Protecting the innocent my left foot, she probably brought him in there as a bounty.

He shut his eyes and scolded himself for backing down so quickly. That guy, didn't deserve to be arrested, he looked fairly innocent. Stepping a bit too close to the entrance, the guards crossed their spears in front of him and gave him a stern look. One barked a warning to him, but he was already walking away while he did.

He knelt down near a cart and looked at the sky. "Might as well get going with what I came here for."

***

Kaen didn't get very far. She wasn't terribly interested in a boy being fished out of the pond - if Houjun was dealing with it, more power to him. Before she'd gotten out of the courtyard, however, a servant stopped her. He wasn't one of the palace servants - from his garments, it was obvious he personally served one of the nobility. With much bowing and scraping, he handed her a note.

Her nose wrinkled at the overwhelming perfume. This was not the first note that she had received in the few days she'd been here, and she already imagined what it was. She opened it, however, in case she was wrong. For all she knew, it was a soppy noblewoman that needed the aide of an Amazon to destroy her tyrannical husband.

No such luck. She scanned over the short note, her face going first pale, then flush with anger. One phrase stuck in her mind - I await you in your rooms.

The gall. The utter gall!

She rounded on the servant, raising the note like it was a club that she'd beat him with. He had the good sense to cower, bowing repeatedly, until his head nearly touched the ground.

Her voice was a low, cold hiss when she spoke, "I am an Amazon! Tell your despicable master that if he looks at me, I will put his eyes out with my thumbs!" She punctuated her words with stabbing gestures, finishing by crumpling the note up in her fist. Overhead, the sunny sky began to cloud over, a chill breeze springing up.

The man had the good sense to run.

With no one else to yell at, Kaen turned on her heel and went stomping back toward the monk, the crumpled note still clenched in her fist. She had wanted to go back to her room to cleanse herself, then have a nice cup of tea and read a book. Now she couldn't even stomach the thought of going back there, after they had been invaded by the foul presence of some uppity male. She had nowhere else to go, and she needed the distraction, she reasoned.

The truth of the matter was that Houjun had a strange, calming effect on her. Perhaps because he was just so relentlessly cheerful. But she would never even deign to think that.

She stormed up to Houjun and attempted to think of anything at all to say, but failed. Internally, she folded her anger away and let it cloud over with icy hate. That made her feel better as well, and she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. The hand clenched around the note was white-knuckled.

Only then did she look down at the boy that lay on the ground. She tilted her head to the side, and looked back at Houjun. "Oh," she said lamely. "You already have your own foreigner. If I'd known, I guess I would have brought you something else."

Houjun sat back and waiting for the man he had fished from the pool to wake completely. He'd been surprised by the other man's reaction; it seemed to make the one with dark eye coverings worse. After a period of shaking the latter pushed his seeming-friend away and began to cough and sputter on his own. "That's good, no da," he said aloud. He patted the coughing man light on the back and then turned at the sound of angry footsteps heading his way.

Kaen stopped near him, her anger visible before it faded a bit. He saw a piece of paper peeking out of her clenched fist but said nothing about it. Rather, he turned his smiling mask up meet her gaze. "Hai, no da. I had planned on going fishing today, just not so soon, no da."

At that moment he heard a distant shout from the guards at the gate and glanced over. He was quiet for a long moment and then looked back up at Kaen. "I think you and your charge attracted a bit of attention, no da." He nodded his head toward the gate where a blue haired young man was walking away.

Keisuke gently patted Tetsuya on the back. It was only then he noticed that his bud was soaking wet. He'd gotten his own jacket a bit damp by hugging him so fiercely. Grinning despite the situation, Keisuke waited for him to regain his senses.

In the meantime, Kaen had returned as quickly as she'd left, and spoke to the perpetually smiling man again. Keisuke really had no idea why she'd brought him straight here, but through some incredible coincidence, or twist of fate, she'd led him right to Tetsuya.

Even though he was certain she wouldn't be able to understand him, he looked straight at her and said, "Thank you."

The strange words attracted Houjun's attention back toward the stranger that Kaen had brought to him. The words were completely unfamiliar to him even though he had a rather good grasp of languages. Kaen had mentioned he was spouting "gibberish" but the flow of words had a purposeful sound and were clearly an attempt to communicate.

He grinned brightly even beneath the mask. "I'm glad I learned this one in my training, no da," he said to the group in general. Early in his studies he had indeed come across a rather interesting spell that should enable people speaking completely different tongues to understand each other. The thing about it that intrigued him was that they would still be speaking and hearing others words in their own language. It was one that he had been interested in performing to see the true effects.

He brought a hand up and began a quiet, almost sing-song chant. It was over in a few moments with another sudden gesture.

Curious to see if his idea had played out he turned back to Kaen's stranger. _What did Kaen call him, no da?_ he thought quickly. _Yuuki, I think. That was it, no da! Yuuki Keisuke._ He smiled again behind the mask. "Now, Yuuki-san, we see if this worked as well as I was taught, no da."

"You, you speak Japanese?"

Keisuke smiled and sat up attentively.

"So that's why she brought me to you! Do you know where we are or how we got here? One minute we were in Tokyo Central Library, the next I was laying on the ground where Haku-san found me. And," Keisuke sized Tetsuya up with a glance, "Looks like Tetsuya ended up here instead."

"I'm worried my sister and her friend might be here too. They were with us when we found that strange book," he paused for a moment, and then realized he was being rude, "Oh, and, I'm sorry. You already know my name, but I'll introduce myself anyway. I'm Yuuki Keisuke, and this is my friend, Kajiwara Tetsuya."

Kaen blinked, then tilted her head slightly to the side as the foreigner launched into another seemingly endless torrent of words. At least this time, it made sense. Considering the language barrier hadn't exactly stopped him from talking before, she had a bad feeling that he'd become twice the chatterbox, now.

Well, at least he wasn't really her problem. She could escape once she was certain her room was no longer befouled by the presence of a man. And then she would have to clean. A lot.

In response to that thought, her hands tightened again. She remained calm, however. She looked at Houjun. "Your magic never ceases to amaze me - you have made a foreigner speak intelligibly. It wears off at some point, I trust?" She glanced back to where the man that had tried to interfere with her duty had gone. "And yes, I suppose the foreigner did attract some attention. That one attempted to interfere. I think he is mentally deficient, and a bad liar." A slight smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. "If he interferes with my duty again, I will show him no mercy."

Houjun smiled and actually blushed a bit behind his mask. Kaen had complimented him which was an amazement. "Arigato, no da. Hai, it will wear off after some time. By then I should be have the strength to renew it, no da."

He had also noticed her half-smile at the mention of the man at the gate. "He may indeed be all that you say but if he does not directly interfere perhaps you might deign to ignore him, no da. I have a feeling that he is also connected to all of this in some way though I'm not sure how, no da." He tilted his head at her. "Just a request, no da. Should he attempt to harm you or anyone in your charge I would not expect you to ignore him." He hoped he phrased that right to sound as though he were making a simple request that would not interfere with her moral code. _I hope that doesn't offend Kaen in some way, no da. She is a good, capable young woman. I'd hate to have her mad at me, no da._

He then turned to answer Yuuki-san's questions as best be could. "Japanese? I've never heard of that language, no da." He was right, definitely not a language he was even remotely familiar with. _Is he connected with the appearance of our miko?_ he wondered. Aloud, he continued. "To put it simply, Yuuki-san, you are hearing and speaking in your language. We are speaking in Chinese and we hear your words the same way, no da." He grinned wider. "I can't go into any more detail than that unless you'd like to follow the path of a monk as I do, no da."

Houjun paused and recalled the strange words Yuuki-san had said just after the spell had taken effect. "I'm not familiar with the places you mentioned, no da. Perhaps we should take your friend inside and call the Emperor to join us, no da. He might be able to shed some light on this too." He nodded his head toward the still coughing man. "It is nice to meet you both, no da. I'm Ri Houjun, but please call me Houjun, no da."

He was about to say more when a thought struck him. _Sister? Perhaps this has more to do with the miko's appearance that I thought._

Keisuke listened intently as Kaen spoke. It felt so much better to be able to understand her -- even if her comments were rather close to what he expected. Still, it was very clear that she had been protecting him. The smiling man spoke next, Ri Houjun.

While he listened, Keisuke removed his relatively dry jacket and handed it to Tetsuya. Being of similar build, it would fit quite nicely, and be considerably more comfortable than his drenched t-shirt. Unfortunately he couldn't do much about his pants.

Tetsuya gratefully accepted the jacket, though he didn't really want to slip out of his own shirt right now. After all, there was a lady present. He'd prefer to wait until she was elsewhere. Even if by some miracle a fresh change of clothes was brought to him right now, he'd still wait until she was out of sight before changing into them.

Keisuke stood up to face Houjun-san and Haku-san.

"It's nice to meet you too," he returned warmly, "But, Houjun-san, you've never heard of Japan?" Keisuke pondered quietly just where in China they might be.

He had so many questions that needed answers, but for now, there were a few more pressing matters.

"If it's not too much trouble, we could use some dry clothes. But, th-the _Emperor_? He'd speak to _us_?" Keisuke asked incredulously.

"Of..." Tetsuya paused to cough the last of the water from his throat before continuing in a clearer, albeit tired, voice. "Of course he would. After all, if my guess is correct, I just landed in his lake."

He finally took a better look at the courtyard and the palace. "This does look like the place an Emperor lives in."

He knew for a fact that China didn't have an Emperor anymore, so they couldn't be in that country, even if the natives did speak Chinese. And the woman had mentioned something about magic. Har har. Tetsuya had a nagging feeling that neither he nor Keisuke was, so to speak, in Kansas anymore.

Kaen was very relieved when Keisuke didn't disrobe further - and neither did his friend. That would have been just too much for a day that had taken a sudden, rotten turn.

She wasn't concerned by the conversation; it was none of her business what Houjun wanted to do with them now, and she had no desire to once more be in the presence of that overbearing pretty-boy that the people of this country followed. The idea of a man being an adequate leader! Kaen snorted to herself.

Only half listening to what the foreigners said, she walked over to the pond that the other one had fallen in. The fish didn't look at all upset. She liked fish. Kaen unwrapped her fingers from the crumpled note, smoothing it a bit, and then tore it into thin strips. She let the breeze blow them from her hand. They'd be swept up by some enterprising servant, or perhaps a bird could pick them up and use them to line its nest. She didn't care. She simply had to let go of that anger.

When the note was completely destroyed, she turned her attention back to the foreigners. At least until they went off to see Houjun's friend, they'd provide a distraction.

Houjun laughed at Tetsuya's comment and patted him lightly on the shoulder. "Hai, no da. After an entrance like that he would certainly want to see you." He called to a nearby guard and exchanged a few quick words. After nodding the guard hurried off in the direction of the main building. "That's taken care of, no da. By the time we get there the Emperor should be ready to see us." He held up a hand to forestall any other questions. "Ano...I think we should wait until we're inside and all rested before and more questions, no da."

He looked over at Kaen, sensing a bit of the reason behind her earlier anger. His voice was quiet when he spoke with her. "Kaen-san, you are welcome to join us if you wish, no da. If not, then I will thank you now for bringing Yuuki-san here."

Kaen raised an eyebrow slightly at Houjun's invitation, and gave him a thin smile. "Thank you, but no. I have had enough of men for one day. Good luck with this problem. I think you are more than equal to it." That was why she'd brought Keisuke here, after all. If anyone would know what to do, it would be Houjun. The monk had... mysterious ways, to go with his primary weapon of relentless good cheer.

She glanced back at the two foreign boys, feeling a small pang of sympathy for them. When she spoke, her tone had an awkward edge to it, though she kept her expression stern for them. "I, too, know what it is like to be a stranger in a strange land. Be strong." Then her words became more commanding. "Trust in the monk and do as he says."

Without waiting for a response, she walked away. This time, no annoying servant stopped her. She intended to find a quiet place while she could sit and read until it was time to cleanse the male taint from her room.

Houjun nodded and then turned back to Tetsuya, his gaze critical behind the mask as he examined him quickly. "You seem to be doing better, no da. Are you able to walk?"

He stood and offered a hand to Tetsuya to help pull him to his feet.


	6. Chapter 5

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Near Kutou Capital; afternoon

Genrou had been walking since sun up, eager to get to Kutou and retrieve whatever medicines would heal his leader. He'd heard that Kutou was the best place to find cures for exotic illnesses and Hakarou had an illness no one could identify, it was killing him slowly.

He'd been on the road for two weeks now and had no idea how things were going for his aniki and if his leader still lived.

"They're gonna be fine! Hakarou's a tough bandit he'll stick it out till I get back. No need ta worry about nothin'!" He spoke loudly to reassure himself, until he noticed the startled looks from passing peasants.

Grinning brightly at a passing pair of fishermen, Genrou was treated to frightened looks and the sight of people moving just a bit faster than they had been before. His smile dropped as he tried to figure out just what had startled the travelers.

_All I was doin' was smilin' at 'em, what's so scary 'bout that?_

Genrou groaned aloud as he realized what the problem was; his fangs.

Most people were surprised to see the elongated canines that bracketed his smile. His sisters had teased him and said he was a devil spawn since no other person in his family had the same distinctive grin.

Genrou growled at an old woman who was avidly watching his mouth, "Yeah whadda ya want Grandma? Ain't ya ever seen a bandit a'fore?"

The old woman paled and picked up her pace, half-running and going faster than any older person he had ever seen move.

_At this rate ol' Grandma's gonna beat me t'Kutou, better get goin'._

He'd been walking for hours when the gates of the Kutou border came in to view, he wanted to catch a glance at the guards that should be posted there but as he strolled by he noted that the guards were not at their stations.

'Now where th' hell are those bastards? Surely they ain't dumb enough ta leave the gates unguarded. A bandit might just take his chances an' slip in.' He thought for a moment before he nodded to himself, 'yeah, I'm gonna chance it. Ain't no one lookin' so I c'n slip past an' get in to th' city. Heh heheh, I'll have that damned cure before th' day's over with.'

Stuffing his hands in to his pockets and trying to look as if had 'mistakenly' wandered in on the off chance that someone noticed his entry, Genrou walked through the gates and into the land of Kutou.

He'd never been there before but, instinct told him that he'd need to be very closed mouthed as to who he was and what his purpose in an enemy country was. He may be the baka his aniki always called him when it came to logic but when it came to survival, no one knew how to get by better than he did.

The capital city was large, almost the same size as Eiyou in Konan. But where Eiyou was cramped and wall to wall people, businesses, taverns and inns; Kutou's major city was more spread out and open as if its inhabitants were afraid to have anyone too close to them.

He kept his pace as natural and casual as he could, not wanting to attract too much attention to himself but knowing that his clothing and bright fiery hair would gain him some notice.

He passed small shops and taverns, poking his head in to each one to inquire about a local healer or herb vender but was told to 'Get lost, asshole' or 'No, now go away!'. "Che, I was just askin' aho!" he mumbled to himself as he passed an alleyway not too far from the outer wall of the palace. He thought he'd heard someone gasp but shook his head and kept his attention on finding an herbalist or healer; he didn't know how much longer his boss would be able to hold out and the bandits were counting on him to save the day as he and Kouji had done, what seemed like, so long ago.

***

Koutoku's eyes were closed as he played, his body swaying slightly with the rhythm as he sat with his back against the wall, oblivious to just about everything around him. Which was why Shun-chan had to keep watch when they did this; the older twin had a tendency to lose himself completely in the music. He could put such emotion into a simple string of notes, make them seem almost alive. It was a talent that made people stop and listen, even when the tune was unfamiliar. Which it usually was -- Koutoku also tended to stray from the traditional folk tunes, making up new melodies as he went.

Sitting next to his brother, Shunkaku kept a sharp eye out for any kind of trouble. They had done remarkably well today -- the small woven basket in front of them held enough coins for them to eat an actual meal tonight, and maybe sleep in an actual bed! -- but there would always be thugs and street toughs in the city looking to steal their good fortune for themselves. _Heh. Speak of the devil_, Shun thought as a man with fiery orange hair walked by on the street, a man with a decidedly distrustful look to him. That one, Shunkaku watched like a hawk until the man disappeared around the corner.

Aniki was right, there were a lot of shifty-eyed, dangerous people in the city. But Shun still liked it here. Things happened here. It was exciting. Not like out in the country, where the most excitement was a runaway plow horse, or an angry farmer chasing them out of his stable. No, this place was much more fun. He couldn't wait until aniki stopped playing and they could go explore.

Genrou cocked his head and listened to the mournful music that floated up from one of two rather dirty young boys. The one playing looked as if he were lost in the melody he was playing while the other watched him with dark blue, distrustful eyes.

Genrou flicked a quick glance at the small wicker casket between the boys, _'Looks like they made a descent amount t'day an' judgin' from th' lean thin bodies these two got, they ain't had too much luck till now. I'd help 'em out if'n I could but I got bigger things t'worry 'bout. Sorry kids._

He continued down the street, fully aware of the wary eyes that had plastered themselves to his back. Turning a corner, he noted a small shop nestled amidst a myriad of strange looking plants.

_Heh heheh, looks like I might be in luck!_

Genrou poked his head in to the shop and asked the fragile old woman who sat looking over a ledger if he could ask about some herbs.

The old woman turned to face him and when he got a good look at her face he winced. It was the woman from the road, the one he'd scared off when he told her he was a bandit!

"Sorry son, we don't have any fresh herbs today. Try back tomorrow." With that she stood from her stool and pushed him out of the tiny shop.

"Damnit!" He growled as the door slammed behind him. "Now what th' hell am I gonna do?"

He sauntered back down the way he had come, passing the two boys yet again. He stopped for a moment and listened to the soulful music, _Wonder if'n th' brats c'd tell me where t'find a healer or herbalist er somethin'?_

He stepped right up in front of the two boys and grinned his most innocent smile. "Hey, I'll give ya a few coins if'n you c'n tell me where t'find a healers shop or one a those herb places. How's about it boys?"

Shunkaku tensed as that man came back and stood there, pretending to listen to aniki's flute. And then he offered them a deal. What, did he think they were stupid? That innocent grin wasn't fooling anyone. He meant to dazzle them with the prospect of more coin, and then steal their own right out from under them as soon as they let their guard down.

Almost before the words were out of the man's mouth, Shunkaku was on his feet, standing protectively in front of both this brother and the basket. His fingers twitched towards the hilt of his belt knife.

"Sorry, can't help you," he growled. He wasn't about to give this man an inch.

Drifting in and out of the notes, wrapping them around himself like a second skin, Koutoku suddenly felt a spark of anger touch him from his twin's mind. Well, more than that; with Shun-chan, it was always more than just a spark.

He opened his eyes to see his brother's back. Shun was standing between him and another man. The melody from his flute quivered to a halt. That other man had the look of a bandit, and bandits never traveled alone. Not the successful ones, anyway.

Surreptitiously, Koutoku grabbed the little basket and tucked its contents away into his belt pouch, even as his eyes darted up and down the street, trying to pick out the other bandits.

Genrou held his hands up in front of him in a non threatening manner; he'd already messed up with grandma so he wasn't taking any chances. "Hey, calm down now, I ain't gonna hurt ya." He dug in to his pocket and held out four gold coins, doggedly reigning in his anger. "Will ya just tell me where t'find a healer? I'll give ya th' money up front, I'll even stand back a bit ta' make ya feel more comfortable."

_Damned brat! I was just askin' a fuckin' question! What is it with th' fuckers 'round here? Ain't any a them heard a common friggin' courtesy?!_

He stepped back and waited for the angry young man to make a decision, keeping watchful eyes on the, now silent, flute player.

_Boss always said, it'd th' quiet one's ya gotta keep an eye on. They might be th' one ta slip a knife betwixt yer ribs! Then again, a loud one could kill yer ass while ya was busy watchin' a quiet one. Best ta try ta keep an eye on both of 'em._

"Look, I c'n throw th' money at ya. Just point an' tell me how fuckin' far it is t' th' next healer! Damnit, I hate bein' in Kutou! Bastards fuckin' everywhere!"

Genrou cringed inwardly,_ Yeah, great way ta get their trust. Aho! Maybe aniki was right 'bout me needin' common sense!_

Shunkaku wasn't backing down. This guy just didn't know when to quit, did he? His hand closed around the hilt of his belt knife. Well, let him keep talking, he wasn't going to get anywhere. "Look, just leave us the hell alone--" He cut off as aniki touched his arm.

"Shun." Koutoku saw his brother grab the knife hilt, and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder to stop him. He had also seen something else -- or rather, not seen. There weren't any other bandits ready to back this one up. Or if there were, they were hiding very well, which thugs in Kutou never bothered to do. This man was not a threat to them.

He looked past his brother to the flame-haired man. "There's an old woman who sells herbs," he said, pointing up the street. "Not too far."

He wondered what someone who hated Kutou so much was doing in the capital city, well....wasn't it obvious? The need for a healer could be very great. Koutoku didn't much like being in the city, either, but here they were. Desperate times, and all that.

Shunkaku glanced backwards at his brother. Aniki wasn't really trying to help this guy, was he? Oh, he was. His grip loosened on the knife hilt. Aniki wasn't stupid enough to fall for some lame trick, so if he trusted the guy....

As his brother pointed down the street, Shun snatched the gold coins from the man's outstretched hand, quickly making them disappear about his person. Fair was fair, after all.

He stared down at his empty hand and sighed, he had promised a fair trade. _Damnit, I already looked there! Now what th' hell am I gonna do? I can't afford t'pay 'em again fer another healer!_

***

Miaka felt the bright red shower of light envelop her. It poured over her skin like warm water. She screamed, but couldn't even hear her own voice. All she could understand for sure was the feeling that she was falling.

Miaka landed with a crash on the ground. She lay still for a moment before looking across the ground beneath her. She certainly wasn't in the library anymore.

Miaka lifted her head from the ground and looked up at the blue rooftops and blue flags. She focused, trying to make out the symbol on the fabric, but it was flapping in the breeze that swept across her face. She squinted. Was that a Blue Dragon? It looked like it was in the water.

Miaka then looked around for Yui or Keisuke or Tetsuya.

Her biggest fear had been realized. She was all alone in a strange place!

"Yui-chan?!?" Miaka paused and glanced around. "Nii-chan?" She stood up and began walking around. In the distance she could hear the sound of people, perhaps an argument...? From the sounds of it, they were making quite the scene.

Miaka walked towards the noise and pushed her way through the crowd of hurried shoppers. "Excuse me..." She apologized, finally getting through. In front of her was a red haired man dressed in funny clothes, talking loudly with another man dressed in the same funny style of clothing. When she caught sight of the redhead's face, she blushed. He was… handsome! Funny pointy teeth, but a good looking guy regardless. Unfortunately, he wasn't arguing with her brother of Tetsuya.

She tilted her head and looked around. _Where in the world am I? This can't be China, could it? _Miaka could heard people talking in hushed whispers and tried to concentrate, to make out what they were saying. A wave of realization passed over her and she was unexpectedly able to make out their words...

"That girl… what's the matter with her?"

"Those clothes... Is she in a play?"

_They aren't talking about the argument... they are talking about me!_

***

With grumbled thanks Genrou turned to go and stumbled over a group of people who had been watching him argue with the twins.

"Arright people! Break it up, ain't nothin' happenin', so just go yer separate ways!"

The people weren't even listening; instead their attention was on a young girl in strange clothes who had hair that resembled dumplings.

"What th' hell's goin' on here? Ain't ya never seen a kid a'fore? C'mon back up an' give th' poor kid a break!"

He grabbed the girl's arm and attempted to drag her away from the mob of people that was growing rather than dispersing. "Ya need t'find a better place ta stand an' gawk. Go find yer ma er somethin', kid."

_I'm too nice a guy. Why th' hell did I bother gettin' her outta th' crowd?_ He shook his head and frowned.

When the cute-but-scary guy grabbed Miaka's arm she tried to pull away. "What are you doing?" She yelped as he drug her out of the crowd. "What's going on!? Who are you? Owwwwww you're hurting me!"

Her mother... She didn't know where her mother was... She didn't even know where she was! Miaka looked at the man and then around at the people who seemed to have followed them. She could feel her lip quivering but did her best not to cry.

"I'm not a kid… I'm 15."

She looked around for a sign of anything familiar. Pearl Tower? Nope, this wasn't Shanghai. If anything, it was a bit more like the Forbidden City. But it obviously wasn't Beijing.

"Where am I?"

She jerked in his grasp but he refused to let her go until they reached the relative safety of the alleyway with the two boys.

"You tell me! Damnit, what th' hell are ya wearin'? Ya wanna end up gettin' picked up by slave traders? Yer practically naked!" _Goddamned girls an' their strange ideas a clothin'!_

He stopped and let go of her arm. He cast a quizzical glance down at the young girl and sighed. Genrou sighed. He was going to regret this. But if the boss heard of him mistreating a kid, much less a girl, he'd be drummed out of the pack.

"Arright, tell me what's wrong. If there's a quick way t'fix yer problem I'll lend a hand, but if'n it's gonna take awhile ya might better try t'hire a tracker er somethin'. I got things I gotta do."

_Why do I get th' feelin' I'm not gonna get th' chance t'get back an' see Grandma 'bout them herbs any time soon?_

Miaka looked down at her school uniform. "What's wrong with the way I'm dressed? Everyone back home dresses this way."

She looked around again, still unable to pick up on any familiar landmarks. "I was with my brother and our friends. Then I read this strange book and now I'm here...but I don't know where **here** is." Miaka dropped her head and stared at her feet. This guy was going to think she was totally crazy if he didn't already. Her eyes filled with tears that she tried not to show.

Genrou panicked when her head fell, he just knew she had started to cry. "Hey now, none a that! Arright, I'll help ya find yer aniki an' friend, just stop cryin'!"

He was frantic. Crying women had always freaked him out and now he had a strangely dressed girl crying in the street. "Yer in Kutou. C'mon, don't cry, arright?" He was really starting to panic now. If she started bawling on him then people might think he'd done something to her. "How's about I get ya somethin' t'eat an' we c'n figure out what t'do with ya?"

***

Both boys watched as the flame-haired bandit grumbled something and walked away -- in the opposite direction than Koutoku had pointed. Shunkaku snorted derisively. "See, he was makin' it up. He's not even going." Deftly, he recovered the four gold coins from folds in his clothes and gave them to his brother. Aniki always handled their money. When they had any.

Koutoku placed the coins safely in his belt pouch with the others. "I'm not so sure." He had seen disappointment in the man's eyes -- masked by irritation, but disappointment all the same. More likely he had already been to see the old woman, and found she couldn't help him.

"Well, anyway, that was fun." Shunkaku was grinning.

Koutoku gave him a look. "Don't say that."

The younger boy just grinned more and tugged his brother's hand. "C'mon, aniki, you're done playing. Let's go take a look around already."

Koutoku couldn't help smiling back. It was hard not to be affected by his brother's infectious cheer. And besides, they had had very good luck today. His belt pouch hung heavy with that luck. There was reason to be cheerful.

But they had not taken two steps before that man was back, this time dragging a very oddly dressed girl in tow. Both boys just stared for a moment, as she stood there trying not to cry while the bandit tried not to yell at her.

"Aniki, what is she wearing?" Shun whispered, giggling a little as he nudged his brother. Showing that much leg.... If she wasn't a whore already, she would pretty soon find herself bought and sold as one. This wasn't the kind of place where a woman could parade herself around like that. Hell, even decently dressed girls got attacked on these streets all the time. This idiot was just begging for trouble.

Koutoku blinked at the girl, but it wasn't her foreign clothes that held his attention. He felt something, something he couldn't quite describe. For some reason, it reminded him of the mark on his arm. That mark, that legend, he wanted nothing to do with.

"Ha ha! That's some catch!" Shunkaku called out to the bandit. "Maybe with the rest of your gold, you could have afforded better."

Koutoku quickly grabbed his brother by the wrist and started pulling him away. "Shun, let's go." Taunting the man was certainly not something they needed to be doing right now. Besides, that girl.... Koutoku didn't know what that strange feeling was, and he didn't want to know. He just wanted to get far, far away from her.

Genrou glared at the boy. "I ain't buyin' 'er! She jus' needed help!" He paused and looked to the sky for a moment. "Suzaku, why me?" he muttered and when he turned to the boys he found they had gone.

"Wha?" Looking around in panic he could not spot the boys anywhere. "Shit! Now I'm stuck with ya, what am I gonna do with a girl?"_ I'm a bandit, damnit! I ain't no fuckin' nursemaid! Grrr!_

Miaka knew this place must be very far from home. Back home people weren't bought and sold unless… oh no! Did the people here think she was a prostitute? She knew that she wasn't for sale, but obviously they didn't.

"Where is Kutou?" She asked with a tilt of her head. "Somewhere near Tokyo?"

He looked at the girl incredulously, "Toki-yo? Is that yer village? What kinda messed up name is Toki-yo?"

"Tokyo isn't a village...." She paused "It's a city." Obviously it was nowhere near here. Or maybe the man just wasn't very smart?

Genrou looked at her for a moment, trying to take in what she was saying. _So, Toki-yo ain't a village; it's a city? I ain't never heard a such a city a'fore._

He leaned down and grabbed her arm again. "Arright, kid. On yer feet. We gotta get somewhere an' call it a night." He said noticing that the day was beginning to darken towards late evening.

"Don't suppose ya gots any money t'help out do ya?"

She shoved her hands into her pockets and began digging through them to find her coin purse. She poured the good portion of coins out into her palm and held it out to him.

"It's not much, but will this work?"

Snagging a coin, he looked it over. "What's this? Some kinda token? That's all fine an' good, honey, but what I was lookin' fer was cash." He sighed, it seemed to be something he did a lot of today.

_Great, now I gotta cut intah the cash fer the herbs! Che! Why do women always make things hard? GAH! No hentai thoughts! Just cause yer standin' next to a half naked girl don't mean ya like girls anymore'n ya did a'fore! NO HENTAI THOUGHTS! _

"Arright, fine. I'll pay fer a room an' some food fer the night, but tomorrow ya, gotta find yer own way. I got shit I gotta do an' waggin' 'round a little kid ain't gonna help get things done. What's yer name anyway? I can't keep callin' ya kid if'n I gotta get us a room. No one'd believe ya were m'sister if'n I kept callin' ya kid. I'm Genrou," he stated as he glanced around, looking for a clothes line to get her some more descent garments.

Miaka shoved the money back into her pocket. "It isn't a token..." She muttered, not wanting to argue. If she wasn't in Japan anymore, her money wouldn't do her much good.

"Genrou." She repeated with a small smile. "My name is Miaka." She bowed politely, trying to remember her manners. She was more than a little unsure about sharing a room with a complete stranger for the night. What if he tried to kiss her!?

"We… we'd have to share a room? I don't know what kind of girl you think I am, but you better not be getting any funny ideas!"

Genrou's brow twitched and he blinked, mouth gaping open. "What?! Hell no! I hate fuckin' girls. Ya ain't gotta worry 'bout none a that shit goin' on. I'm just sayin' that a kid gettin' her own room in a place like this is probably not the best idea. Some innkeepers ain't against goin' into other people's rooms an' makin' off with girls they think are pretty. I'm _trying_ to keep ya safe, kuso chibi."

He was affronted by the fact that she thought he was trying to get under her skirt. Genrou hadn't ever had an interest in women and he sure as hell wasn't about to start liking some girl that had just reached marriage age. No, thank you. "It would'a been nice to meet ya, Miaka, if ya hadn't gone an' though I was tryin' to get ya on yer back." He crossed his arms, fangs peeking out of his frown.

Relieved that this Genrou person had no plans on trying to kiss her, Miaka relaxed. But when he frowned…

"Ooooo!" Miaka jumped up onto her tiptoes and poked at his fang with her index finger. "Wow! No wonder people seemed scared of you before."

She let go of his face and circled around him, trying to sort out what his job might be. Traveling circus performer? Nope. Maybe just an ordinary peasant. No, his clothing was a bit too flashy for that. He obviously wasn't the sort of person who did hard labor.

"No one back home is going to believe this. Your clothing is so strange… are you from Kutou?"

Genrou went red, though in surprised embarrassment. "Hey," he waved a hand when she poked at his mouth. "I ain't scary an' I ain't from Kutou, damnit. An' I ain't the one who's dressed strange. _You_ got less clothes on than a harlot! Speakin' a which, we might should see about gettin' ya somethin' that covers ya more 'n that little bit does."

Spotting some not too far away, he glanced back at the girl. "Stay here, I'll be right back. I'm gonna get ya some clothes, I don't wanna hafta deal with lechers eyein' ya." He sprinted over to the line, grabbed a handful of feminine clothes and darted back. When he handed them to her she seemed hesitant to take them. "Here. I ain't dressin' ya so ya better put 'em on yerself."

"What's wrong with my uniform?" She asked him curiously. She grabbed one of the robes and held it up, tilting her head curiously. "I recognize this! This is an old style." She smirked, recognizing its from one of her history books.

She tried to put on over top of her uniform and tie the obi herself but it ended up looking more like a messy knot. She stuck out her tongue with a grin. "Uhm, I don't suppose you know much about women's clothing?"

He grinned at her failed attempts to fix the garments before he decided to lend a hand. "Baka, don't ya know how t'tie an obi?" His hands moved deftly over the material and fit everything in place. "Well," he said casting a critical eye over her much more covered form. "Ya ain't naked no more, so I guess that's better than nothin'. Don't go gettin' no ideas, though. I got sisters, that's the only reason I know how to do that."

He grabbed her arm to steer her out in to the main thoroughfare, when a thought crossed his mind. "Who're ya lookin' fer anyway?" He looked down into pretty green eyes and waited for her to answer.

Miaka looked at him and smiled as he tied the obi. She couldn't possibly explain to him that they didn't dress like this in Tokyo anymore. She simply held her arms out and waited for him to finish.

"I'm looking for my friend Yui-chan, my big brother Keisuke, and one of his friends, Tetsuya." Miaka looked down at the obi, admiring how well it was tied. "They were with me in the library... but I don't know where they went."

He was staring into her eyes and it made her blush harder. She turned her face away, curled her fingers around the fabric and rocked from side to side on her feet. It was then that her stomach let out a growl. _Oh no! I bet he heard that…_

Genrou quirked an eyebrow at her as she turned her head. _What? Was it something I said?_

He cupped her elbow and pulled her out on to a slightly less busy street, "We've gotta try lookin' fer them tomorrow. It's gettin' late an' I need a drink. Ya hungry?"

_I hate it when it get's quiet! Damnit! Now I gotta figure out what t'say so things don't get awkward._

Miaka smiled and nodded. Fortunately for her, this young man didn't realize she was a bottomless pit of hunger.

"What does this Yui person look like? Is she dressed like you were?"

She looked down and started walking in the same direction he was. "Yui was wearing her uniform too, She goes to school with me." Miaka smiled, thinking about the possibility of going to the same high school as her best friend. "At least, she does until we take our high school exams. Yui-chan is much smarter than I am."

Threading through the throng of people, Genrou looked at her as she were crazy. "Egg-zamz? What th' hell is that? Sounds painful."

With confirmation that her friend would be wearing the same indecent attire, Genrou made sure to look at every female closely and made himself watch out for groups and such.

Before long he found an inn, "Arright kid, er, Miaka; this looks like where we're gonna stay th' night. Now ya gotta do just what I say." He looked down at her and blushed.

"We might hafta tell 'em a lie er two t'get 'em t'give us a room..." he trailed off and gestured pleadingly with his hands, "Just don't go freakin' out at what ever I gotta tell 'em. We need a room an' I ain't got shit-loads'a okane, we're gonna end up needin' t'share."

Do whatever he said!? Miaka wasn't sure how far she would be able take this act; brother and sister? Husband and wife? Keisuke had always told her she was a terrible liar.

From the way the man's blushed face matched his hair, she wasn't so sure he wouldn't try to kiss her after all. She hated being in the dark, but it was the only way she could go along with this charade. But what was he planning on doing or saying?

"Okay..." She spoke softly, unsure of what she was getting herself into.

Genrou blew out a sigh of relief, _Well, at least she ain't run off screamin' in t'th' night er nothin._

Things would work much more smoothly now. His blush receded slightly and he took a deep breath. "Well, I guess I gotta pretend yer my er... woman fer th' night, Chibi Onna, so ya gotta kinda hang on me a bit an' try t'look interested..." He trailed off as he noted a group of lecherous thugs casting appreciative glances at the small woman at his side.

With growl he pulled her roughly against him, "Fuck off! This one's mine!" To prove his claim he pressed a quick kiss to her shocked mouth and leaned away, dragging her behind him in to the inn.

A chorus of bawdy laughter followed them inside.

He cast a worried glance at Miaka, "Sorry 'bout that, them fuckers woulda never believed me if'n I didn't do it, Chibi Onna. Just wait till we get to our room a'fore ya smack me though, it'd ruin our charade if'n ya hit me right now."

Miaka blushed as red as his hair. Her first kiss and it was only part of an act. She couldn't help but feel like she might be nothing more than property here… _his_ property, no less. With the strange attention they still seemed to be getting, she wasn't sure they could pull off the "married" look.

_Play along... play along... you said you would…_ She tried to wipe the look of surprise from her face as quickly as she could and tried not to think about the way she felt those few moments that his lips were pressed to hers.

Instead, she slipped her hand into his, swinging it playfully.

_Act interested... It's worth a try._

She walked with her body pressed into him and wrapped her arm around his elbow. As they approached the inn keeper she let out a loud yawn and then let her head fall against his shoulder.

"I'm tired Genni-pooh, could you make it quick?" She asked, looking up at him.

Genrou sighed briefly as she slipped her hand in his, but tensed as she changed her grip, wrapped an arm around his bicep and leaned her head against him. Then she floored him with the slightly pout-y words that fell from her lips.

His mouth dropped open but he quickly snapped it shut. "Sure, Chibi Onna." He added a small grin and tried to look lovingly at her.

The innkeeper cleared his throat, "Well ya gonna pay fer a room or ya gonna make eyes at each other all fuckin' night?"

Genrou snapped his head up and glared at the innkeeper, "Yeah, yeah. One room an' have someone bring a couple'a trays a whatever ya got cookin' in th' back." Genrou pocketed the key, handed over some money and led his 'loving wife' up to their room.

_Damned females!_

Once they'd gotten upstairs and to the door, Miaka let go of his arm and her cheerful smile turned into a frustrated frown.

"I can't believe you kissed me like that, Gen-chan! You didn't think to tell me that might be part of it?" She kept her tone down, so they wouldn't get noticed.

_Yeah, she's thinkin' about how many times she's gonna smack ya fer kissin' 'er. Damnit! She's gotta know it weren't nothin' personal, I had no choice! I really didn't wanna hafta try protectin' her an' fightin' off some assholes at th' same time. *sigh*_

Though she had spoken softly, Genrou looked around to make sure no one had heard her. Opening the door he followed her inside, closing the door after him.

_Here it comes. Just let 'er hit ya an' say yer sorry._

"I didn't really have a choice! An' what's with callin' me 'Genni-pooh'? What th'fuck kinda name is that? Gen-chan? What's that supposed t'mean!?"

_Che! Women!_

"I dunno, it's what I call my friends." Miaka paused and stared across the room. Her stomach grumbled and she placed her hands atop her stomach with a soft sigh.

Her body was tired, but her mind wouldn't rest.

_Where could Yui-chan be? What about Keisuke and Tetsuya?_

Miaka sighed again, this time a little more loudly. She looked over at him, studying his stance, almost as if it would tell her more than he would say. Like it or not, she couldn't help but feel a connection to him. Probably because he'd stolen her first kiss, but perhaps fate was taking its course.

Maybe she was meant to be right here, in a strange land, posing as the wife of a terribly handsome, flame-haired young man.

Miaka stopped staring at him and quickly looked away, an all too familiar blush overcoming her facial features again. The reddening was more prominent on her cheeks. She touched them, trying to convince herself she was just feeling warm.

He stared at her incredulously. "Ya dunno? Ya call all'a th' strange men who take ya t'an inn funny names?"

He grumbled and moved about the room, putting away his pack and settling down to sit on the edge of the bed to count his cash and make sure how much he had left. _Damnit, now I'm gonna hafta try an' snatch some okane without Chibi Onna seein'._

He glanced over his shoulder at her and frowned, "Are ya tryin' t'tempt me er somethin'? I might as well tell ya, I don't like girls; so blushin' and standin' about like that ain't gonna get me t'mess with ya. Sides I barely know ya an' yer a lil kid!"

He blushed as he tried to play off the embarrassment and strange feelings she evoked in him. _If'n I piss 'er off she won't be so... so... whatever it is she's doin' t'me!_

"All the men?!?"

He tried to interrupt. "But ya-"

"You make it sound like I've done this before!"

Miaka stormed over to the opposing wall, leaned on it and watched him with a glare. "I didn't say _anything_ about wanting you to _kiss_ me... let alone _mess_ with me, whatever you meant by that."

Genrou sighed, "I meant 'tryin' anythin' with ya, no funny business. Ya understand? An' I can't say I'm sorry cause we woulda ended up in th' middle of a brawl if'n I hadn't kissed ya, so get over it! It didn't mean anythin'!"

She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at him. "...and I never blushed. I don't know what you're talking about." She pursed her lips and walked the room, looking around. "These rooms don't have bathrooms?" She refused to look at him, embarrassed that her first kiss had been out of her control and with someone so unexpected.

Genrou sighed again, "Yeah, there's a bathhouse in th' back. Ya want me t'show ya where it is now or ya wanna eat first?"

A knock sounded at the door and Genrou walked over, opened it, snatched the trays from a mousey looking girl and slammed the door shut. "Here, it's-" He paused a moment, lifted the tray cover, and peeked inside. "Goddamnit! Fuckin' fish! What is it with people an' always eatin' fish? I ain't hungry, you c'n have mine." He set the tray on the table in the corner of the room.

"I need a drink. Come down t'th' tavern room when ya wanna go ta th' bathhouse." With that he walked out, slamming the door behind him.

_SHIT! Good fuckin' goin' Genrou, y'aho. Now she's probably gonna start cryin' an' it'll be all yer fault! Fuckin' women!_

Miaka waited while Genrou threw a tantrum about the fish and left, slamming the door behind him.

"Sheesh" She uttered, immediately grabbing the tray of fish. Without a moment's time to think, Miaka had already consumed all of the food. "Mmmm..." She patted her stomach and set the trays back on the table.

Miaka lay back on the bed and scooted to the middle. She stretched her arms and legs, staring up at the ceiling again.

_He certainly isn't very nice... is he?_

She began to think about the whole thing and started to wonder how they would get along, both of them sleeping in this one bed. She rolled onto her side and gazed at the wall with a blank expression.

_If only Yui-chan or Nii-san were here…_

"Yui-chan" She mumbled as tears filled her eyes and she sat up. She'd never find Yui if she stayed dressed like she belonged here.

She took off the strange robes and headed directly down the stairs, heading for the bar. Nothing but seedy characters inside. She tsk-ed and glanced across the room at Genrou. The bartender was looking at her in awe.

"Oh Gen-chan!" She hollered, waving her arms in the air.

Genrou had just sat down with his first bowl of sake when the entire tavern went utterly silent. Looking around he tried to figure out what was going on.

_Oh shit!_ He looked up and was met with a half naked Chibi Onna waving madly at him from beside the bar.

He scrubbed a hand over his blushing face, downed his sake in one quick gulp, and stood from his seat. "Arright, Chibi Onna. I'm comin'."

Striding quickly over to the half naked girl, he grabbed her arm and fairly dragged her out a back door and into the night.

"What th' hell are ya doin' runnin' 'round half dressed? What happened t'th' gown I got fer ya?"

Miaka stood affront of him as he nervously questioned her outside. "I left it in the room. Yui-chan won't recognize me if I'm dressed like I belong here" She tilted her head. "Why are you so red? I just wanted to know where the bath house is." She spoke innocently, unsure why she was being scolded.

She looked at him interestedly. "Are you blushing?!" She asked, then realizing what she'd done. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to call you Gen-chan in front of all the men."

He stared at her for a moment, "Ya really don't get it do ya? I don't know 'bout where yer from, but 'round here women cover themselves up. What ya got on now is what's drawin' so much attention." He ran a hand through his flame colored hair and frowned, "I wasn't blushin'! Che! Like a cute kid like you could make a bandit like me blush! Nah, I wasn't blushin'."

"Why d'ya always call me that anyway?" He asked as he paused in front of the bathhouse. "Isn't that kinda a lover's nickname? I ain't yer lover Chibi Onna."

He raised a brow and his lips twitched in to a lecherous smirk, "Ya think ya c'n stand bein' 'round as good lookin' a guy as me without fallin' in love?"

He suppressed a laugh and waited for her to say something.

_Yep, I'm gonna hafta chase 'er off with a stick. Heh heheh._

"I'm not just a little kid." She laughed, but couldn't help feeling a bit insulted. "I'd sooner date one of those men from the alley. _They_ didn't seem to think I looked like a child." She had meant it to be a joke, but the words came out unexpectedly bitter sounding. She darted into the bath house, hoping to avoid what she'd said.

Miaka leaned back against the bathhouse door and let out a sigh of relief. At least he couldn't follow her in here. She moved inside a bit further and quickly undressed. She wanted to get in the warm water and just relax for a while.

Genrou stared wide eyed at the spot she'd just vacated. _Rather date one a th'... _

Anger colored his vision for a moment, his yoku blazing to life under the sleeve of his jacket sending tingles of ki chasing over his skin. With a dark frown he opened the door to the bathhouse, intent on chewing her out for her comment but as soon as the door opened he was met with the sight of Miaka taking off the small amount of clothes she currently wore.

Miaka's scream could be heard down the hall. She stood in front of Genrou with her uniform jacket, blouse, and tie lying on the floor around her feet. She shielded her chest with the bra she had just barely removed.

He couldn't help but gape at her for the full minute it took for his brain to process what he was looking at. "SHIT!" He yelped as he spun to face the door that had swung closed behind his forceful entrance. "I didn't see nothin'!" He jerked open the door and fairly leapt out.

_Damnit! Now I gotta have_ that _image burned in t'my brain ferever!_

"Suzaku, give me strength because I'll need it to keep from killin' that girl."

Miaka grabbed her shirt, pressing it to her chest, and then poked her head out the door.

"Didn't see nothing!?! You were STARING at me!"

Genrou cringed and covered his ears. "I was _NOT_ starin'! I was _shocked_, damnit! Anyone woulda stood there fer a minute!"

With a sigh, she pulled the door a bit further closed. "Can I trust that you won't come storming in here again?"

He shook his head as she yelled at him.

"I ain't comin' back in, Chibi Onna! Seein' ya naked once is enough fer me!" He blushed and kept his back to the bathhouse door as an added measure to ensure he wouldn't see anything else.

She let the door slam shut and stared at it angrily before she finished undressing, taking her hair down as well. Miaka grabbed a bucket of water and splashed it onto her bare skin, then again over her head. She walked into the small pool of water, sunken into the floor, and sat down. Thoughts swirled through her mind as she soaked.

He could hear her moving around inside and sighed. Time went by and he turned away a few rough looking males that tried to get in to the bathhouse. "Nope, my... wife's in there. Ya ain't gettin' in till she's done. So just fuck off."

Miaka looked back at the door, realizing that he was still out there. _Why does he care if someone else comes in here? He obviously doesn't like me._ She looked down at the water and sighed, her breath making rings on the water's surface. She submerged her head and opened her eyes, watching the air bubbles surface from her mouth and nose. When she came back up she heard Genrou's voice again.

As he waited, he shrugged out of his coat and, later, his white shirt as the night became more and more humid. _Must be about t'rain_

"Oi! Chibi Onna, ya done in there yet? Ya been in there long enough t'wash all th' bandit's at Reikaku twice!"

Miaka stood up, getting one of the bath robes from the shelf beside the bath. She pulled it on around her and tied it around her hips. She pulled her hair out from under the robe and let it drop with a damp plop! onto her back.

_A bandit. That explains why he's so rough around the edges I guess. But that's no excuse for walking in on me!_

She grabbed her clothes and opened the door, then walked out looking at the ground.

When the door opened he pulled his shirt and coat back on, looking over at her for a moment. "Ya arright, Chibi Onna?" he asked as she continued walking without sparing him even a passing glance.

_Shit, now she's pissed at me. *sigh* Well, at least she ain't actin' strange no more, just quiet._

He followed her back to their room, but he stayed in the hallway after she went inside. "I'll stay out here till ya get some clothes on, just yell when yer dressed."

With that he leaned against the wall next to the door and settled in to wait until she said it was alright to come in.

_I'll sleep on a pallet on th' floor; it sucks but I c'd never live with myself if'n I made her share a bed with me. She's mad an' mad females are not my bowl a sake. Hell, females in general aren't my thing._

Looking back over everything that had happened since he met her, Genrou was reminded that she was a scared little kid who was looking for her friends and brother. _Shit, I've been an asshole. I'll try t'make it up t'her in th' mornin'. Too bad we ain't lucky enough t'have 'er friends an' aniki just walk through th door an' cut our searchin' out._

Safely inside the room again, Miaka dropped her uniform and undergarments onto the bed. She took off the robe and redressed in the robe that Genrou had given her. She started to tie the obi and got frustrated, so she just made a plain knot and decided it was good enough. It was an awful looking knot, but it worked for the time being. She wasn't about to ask him for help.

The door opened and he straightened from his leaned back position against the wall, when she didn't say anything he sighed and slowly followed her inside.

"Arright, yer pissed at me. I c'n see that an' I'm sorry fer bein' an ass. I've got a time restraint goin' here; my boss is deathly ill. I gotta get some herbs t'take back t'Mt. Reikaku t'heal 'im."

"Your boss is sick? I'm… I'm sorry." She dropped her head, feeling childish after all. She hadn't meant to slow him down but she hadn't asked for his help either.

He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair, his amber eyes closing as he continued. "Ye'll hafta fergive me if'n I'm a bit of an ass, I'm kinda worried 'bout my boss. Heh heheh, we're both in a situation we don't wanna be in. I'm sorry fer bein' an ass, but that's just how I am. It's nothin' personal."

He pulled some extra blankets from a low laying shelf and set himself up a pallet on the floor by the door.

"You take the bed. G'night, Mi-chan" He flopped down on his pallet and within moments he was asleep.

She sat back and watched as he fell asleep. _He called me Mi-chan! That must mean he doesn't hate me after all!_

It was a small victory, but it felt like she was making friends in this world after all. Newly elated and her spirits completely restored, there was no way she could sleep now. She lay in bed for what felt like hours before she gave in and got up.

Miaka stepped over Genrou, opened the door quietly, and slipped out, closing it quietly behind her. She wandered the halls of the inn aimlessly. Everyone was asleep and the building was eerily quiet.

_If everyone is asleep, maybe now is a good time to take a look at the city. Without people gawking at me. I'll be back before Gen-chan wakes up._

She walked out of the inn and into the dark street, moving at a steady pace but slow enough to avoid making any noise. She glanced around and turned to the alleyway.

_Maybe I'll__ find Yui or my brother._

It was an optimistic thought. She looked around for any sign that they may have been here, ignoring the fact that what she was doing could potentially be dangerous.

Not until she heard a footstep.

She couldn't tell where it had come from.

"Hello?" Miaka's clear voice echoed down the sides of the buildings dwarfing the alleyway.

_Maybe checking out the Hutongs wasn't such a good idea after all._

Her call wasn't responded to by words, but by a deep laughter.

"Hey there, little girl. Whatcha doin' out at this time of night?" the largest of the three men asked, picking his two front teeth with his index nail.

Miaka looked at the man talking to her and began to back away. "Sorry, I must have taken a wrong turn. I'll head back the way I came. Thank you."

She turned on her heel and took off at a run, trying to make a break for the Hutong entrance. One of the smaller men grabbed her arm at the elbow and pulled her so hard she fell back into his chest. He held her arm, locking her in place by putting pressure on her arm in such a way that he could break it.

"Please! Let me go!" She yelped, as she tried to pull herself free. He applied more pressure to her arm, causing her to scream in pain. It was no use. The other men began to advance on her.

"You shut yer trap and we'll let you go real soon. Just as soon as we're done with you." The big man's eyes traveled up and down the length of her body. His chubby hand darted out and pulled her robe open at the bottom to show off her thigh.

Miaka's eyes filled with tears that spilled over onto her cheeks. "Help! Gen-chan!!" she screamed even louder.

***

As soon as the door closed Genrou opened his eyes and rolled over. _Must'a went t'th' latrine, I'll give 'er five minutes a'fore I go check on 'er._

He sat up on his pallet and rubbed a sleepy eye with his fist, tapping his fingers against his thigh with the other. He glanced around the room, impatiently. Not wanting to wait much longer, he stifled a curse and got to his feet. He headed for the door to the bath and tapped on it.

"Mi-chan? You in there?"

Silence.

"Miaka!?"

More silence.

He pushed the door open and found… an empty bathroom.

"Damned women! Shit! Now I gotta figure out where she ran off to an' go drag 'er back." He sighed and headed for the entrance to the inn, moving as quietly as he could in case she was still in the building.

A flicker of movement outside the window caught his eye and he started towards it.

_Damned females!_

Genrou paused outside the inn, looking both ways, searching for any sign of the runaway girl.

A soft female voice came out of the darkness to his left and he darted towards it, afraid of what he might see when he found the owner of that voice.

When he turned a corner at another noise, he froze in shock at what was playing out right before his eyes.

_Oh shit..._

Her screams broke him from his shock induced paralysis; darting forward he slammed in to the largest of the three attackers, knocking him to the ground where his head met unforgiving cobble stones.

Genrou spun to face the second man, a knife glinting in his right hand. "Go get yer own whore, this uns ours!"

A smirk twitched at Genrou's lips as he lunged to the side, away from the wicked looking blade, and caught the man around the waist. The hot sting of a blade embedding itself in his shoulder caused the flame haired bandit to cry out in anger, his pain fueling his ki.

He slammed the attacker into a wall, the harsh smack of the man's head against cold stone signaled his defeat.

Genrou reached over his shoulder and jerked the blade free, tossing it to the side with a clang against the cobbled street. His amber eyes narrowing as the man who still held Miaka raised a knife to her throat. "Back off, buddy. I'll slit 'er throat if ya come any closer." To prove his point, he pushed the blade against her neck until she whimpered.

Genrou whipped off his coat and rolled up his sleeves, "Che! Gotta hide behind a woman t'feel like a real man? Pathetic."

The assailant tossed the girl aside and lunged at the bandit, a battle cry ripping from his throat. The yoku blazed brilliant crimson on Genrou's right arm as he grappled with the smaller man before he was thrown aside.

"GET T'TH' INN, DAMNIT! I'LL HOLD 'EM OFF!" Genrou cried as he leapt back in to the fray. The blade that still gleamed in his opponent's hand slashed across Genrou's chest, bright red bloomed across the white of the bandit's shirt. "DAMNIT!"

Miaka took a few unsure steps back as Genrou yelled for her to leave. _"He's getting hurt... all because of me."_

Miaka covered her mouth and stood in place, watching him fight the man off, until he got slashed across his chest. "No!"

With a swift punch his assailant went down to join his companions in oblivion. She watched the third, and last man fall to the ground. Genrou did the same.

Genrou turned to the girl still standing at the end of the alleyway, his breathing harsh in the sudden stillness. "Mi-chan..."

He collapsed to the ground, his few wounds bleeding freely.

She ran to him and dropped to her knees. "Genrou, please be okay! You have to be okay!" She started crying, her hands immediately grabbed his and she looked into his eyes. "Gen-chan, you saved me." She smiled at him, tears in her eyes.

Miaka lightly took hold of Genrou's arm and pulled him up onto her back, then leaned forward, lifting his feet about an inch off the ground. She carried him back to the inn,

fought her way up the steps, and finally made it to the room. She laid him down on the bed. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

Genrou would have been surprised that the tiny girl could get him on to her back and carry him all the way back to the inn, but at the moment he was trying to keep from crying out as her shoulder dug in to the slash across his chest. He knew it wasn't her fault seeing as that was the only way to get him back to their room, but it still hurt like a bitch.

He just barely suppressed a sigh of relief when she settled him on the bed. Then she was gone.

She ran down stairs and to the inn keeper's desk. She rang the tiny bell countless times before he finally emerged, rubbing his sleepy face. "Sir, sir! I need a bowl of warm water, and some bandages please."

The man stared at her, questioningly. "Everything all right?"

"Oh yes, but my fri… husband cut himself trying to cut me up a piece of fruit. He was too embarrassed to come down himself." The man raised an eyebrow, but gave her what she'd asked for. "Thank you." She walked quickly up the stairs and to their room.

Miaka set the large bowl of warm water on the bed stand and sat on the floor at his side. She removed his shirt (trying not to blush), looked at the wound on his chest and his shoulder, and then back up at his face. She pulled his arms free of the shirt and dropped it on the floor. It was all her fault that he was here, like this, now. Miaka ripped a piece off the robe she'd taken from the bathhouse and tore a strip off, then dipped it into the warm water. She squeezed it, watching tiny drops of water fall back into the bowl, and set it gently onto the longer cut across his chest. She slowly dabbed the red thickness from the surface of his damaged skin. Every time the fabric turned darker crimson she rinsed it and returned to dabbing at his injuries until they were completely cleaned out.

Genrou turned his head to the door as she came back in and released a soft sigh, glad that she hadn't tried to leave again. When she settled on the floor next to him, intent on cleaning his wounds, he glanced up at her face. She wasn't really looking at him and he could see guilt skittering across her face as she checked over his injuries.

Miaka finished by wrapping his arm in the gauze the inn keeper provided and tied it at the end. "You have to sit up so I can wrap your chest wound." She looked at his face for the first time since she started working on his injuries.

He sat up silently and allowed her to wrap the thin cloth around his chest.

"This ain't yer fault," he said quietly. "Well maybe it is, but it's okay. Long as yer not hurt then it's arright. I couldn't just let them hurt ya, Chibi Onna. Just don't go tryin' t'run off no more."

Miaka's brown eyes stayed on his as he spoke, but then quickly fell to the wound as he sat up. "I really am sorry Gen-chan." She grabbed the gauze and set it over the wound, then wrapped his chest with the roll of bandage, tying it in the front.

The yoku flashed bright crimson for a moment and he clapped a hand over the tell-tale glow. "Damned thing's goin' nuts," he grumbled under his breath and tried to get off the bed to go to his pallet.

Miaka looked at his arm as he covered it with his hand. She reached out and wrapped her hand around his wrist, pulling his arm so that he would let it pull forward so she could see.

"Mind if I ask what that is?" She tilted her head and her emerald eyes rose to meet his again.

She vaguely remembered seeing it glow while he was fighting earlier. It certainly was peculiar to see skin glow a bright red.

Genrou pulled his arm from her grip. "Just a... un, birthmark. Boss said somethin' about a priestess an' warriors but I'unno..."

Miaka looked down at the symbol and as he pulled away, up at his face. "Birthmark?" She squinted as he mentioned a tale that his Boss had obviously told.

He started to stand up and walk over to his pallet but she pushed him back down.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Sleep. It's been a long night an' I betcha' yer tired as all hell." He tried to stand again but she pushed him down.

"No chance. You are hurt. You take the bed and I'll sleep on the floor."

He held her wrist, preventing her from leaving his side. Why was he drawn to her like this?

"Nuh-uh. If'n ya want to share the bed then fine. I'll stay over the covers a'course."

She eyed him cautiously before nodding her head and climbing under the sheets.

"Just go t'sleep, an' no more runnin' off. S'too dangerous fer ya t'go out there. We'll get goin' in th' mornin'."

He rolled over to look at her and grinned, showing off his fangs. "Y'know Mi-chan, it's not too bad havin' a girl around every once in awhile. I'll keep ya 'till we find yer friend."

"Thanks. I think I'll keep you till we find a cure for your boss, too."

Her eyelids were growing heavier and soon enough she couldn't resist the call of dreamland. She curled up in the bed next to him as they both slowly slipped away into a deep, peaceful sleep.


	7. Chapter 6

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Meanwhile…

Yui had walked around the streets in a dazed state. Taking in all the blue roofs on the buildings and seeing the flags wave in the air. Thinking logically, she had to have passed out in the library and she was in the middle of a strange dream. She rationalized that the engulfing red light really had been her blacking out.

Yet another part of her brain said she wasn't in Japan anymore. So she walked the streets in search of Miaka, Keisuke, and his cute friend Tetsuya. She was thankful to be on a busy street as men and women gazed upon her with curious eyes. Yui hadn't approached any of the men for they gave her the creeps with their shifty eyes and lustful smirks.

Her legs were starting to ache from walking as fast as she could until she could find a safer place in the city. She tried to focus on concealing the fact that she was lost, but most importantly she didn't want anyone to see how scared she really was.

Yui had heard a melody coming from her left and turned a corner hoping it might lead to the center of the city. After turning the corner though, she lost the melody but continued forward. Finally she came to a cross road in the street. She stopped to give her tired feet a rest and consider her options. One, she continues straight, two, go left on a street that appeared to have a few vendors, or three, go right where there were fewer shops than her first two choices.

Logically, she chose to keep going straight only for rational reasons. One being there was still more locals going about their shopping and the other was that she would stop receiving funny glances by the locals. Third, her mind told her the shifty eyed men from earlier were following her, but she dared not to turn around.

"Miaka, where are you?" she whispered to herself.

Koutoku tried to put that strange foreign girl out of his mind as he walked down the street towards the shops. They wouldn't buy anything -- money was too precious to waste on nonessentials. They'd had good luck today, but the Gods knew how long that would last. The older twin had gotten very good at making money stretch.

"Hey aniki, look! This box is shiny and changes colors. And this stick makes a sound like it's raining!"

Which was why Shunkaku never handled their money.

Shaking his head, but grinning, Koutoku turned to look at his brother. Almost immediately, he bumped right into somebody else on the street.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, turning back as he regained his balance. "I didn't see you...." He trailed off as he finally laid eyes on the person. It was another foreign girl, just like the one the bandit had found. And she gave him that same strange, unearthly feeling. He shivered.

Yui had not been looking where she was going since she was trying to keep an eye out for her friends. For the second time that day she bumped into someone and froze in place. To her relief though, it was a boy and not a grizzly looking man.

"Hey, who's that?" Shunkaku saw the strange girl standing there with his brother, and came back to them. What was it with half-naked girls wandering the streets today?

"I apologize I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking," she said. She was being uncomfortable by the way staring boy when another popped up beside him. Yui blinked a few times until she came to the conclusion she was talking to brothers. She had jumped to the conclusion they were twins, but making assumptions on them was not polite. For all she knew this was still a dream and she was safely back in the library with Miaka.

A crowd was starting to grow around them, gawking at the girl's outlandish clothes and overabundance of exposed flesh. And her hair, her eyes.... a Hin? No, she couldn't be. The Hins had been all but wiped out -- one of them wouldn't come into the city, and certainly not all by herself. There was only one Hin who dared to come here; his infamy was beyond renown. But this was most definitely not him.

"You came here with that other girl, huh?" Shunkaku surmised, eyeing the growing crowd warily. Well, it wasn't really any of their concern, but she seemed lost and confused. It was only decent for them to reunite her with her companion.

And besides, it would be funny to dump them both on that inept bandit.

He took her hand. "C'mon," he said, starting to lead her out of the crowd. "This isn't a safe place to be all alone, especially dressed like that."

Koutoku followed them, frowning slightly. He said nothing, but he watched the girl was warily as Shun had first eyed that bandit.

"You saw another girl like me?" she asked the second boy who was leading her away from the crowd. "Did she have the same uniform? Was her hair brown? Did you see her anywhere near a local restaurant?" She asked the questions rapidly to the two boys and was just happy that she found someone who had seen Miaka. Moreover if Miaka were here, she would find a local restaurant to eat since they had missed lunch. Yui realized that even in any world she could cling onto the fact Miaka was most likely at the local food establishment.

Yui suddenly realized she hadn't properly introduced herself and thought she better.

"I apologize again for I was rude to start asking questions without properly introducing myself. My name is Hongo Yui. May I ask who the both of you are?"

"Bu Shunkaku," Shunkaku answered amiably enough as he led the girl back towards the alley where they had last seen the other girl and the bandit. "And my brother, Koutoku." He motioned back to the older twin trailing a step behind them.

As his name was mentioned, Koutoku's eyes darted towards his brother for a moment, but then fell back onto Yui. Still, he said nothing.

"Yeah, she was dressed just like you," Shunkaku went on, casting a meaningful glance down at Yui's indecently bare legs. "Where are you two from, anyway?" He'd certainly never seen clothing styles like that. And a girl with such short hair -- such short _blonde_ hair.... She and her friend must have come from very far away, indeed.

"I'm from Tokyo. It is a city located in the country of Japan." Yui explained to the boy. She was starting to get worried as the boys took her further down the alley.

"May I ask what city we are currently located in?" The bad feeling came back in the pit of Yui's stomach. Realization slowly setting in that this wasn't no dream, but real.

Toki-yo? Japan? Shunkaku had never heard of such places. Yui and her companion must have come from _very_ far away. How could two girls have traveled so far by themselves? "We're in Kutou, the capital city," he answered her. How could they have gotten here without knowing where "here" was?

Unfortunately, by the time they made it back to the alley, the other girl and the bandit where nowhere to be seen. Shunkaku let go of Yui's hand. "K'so, they're not here." He looked back at Yui. "We saw your friend her earlier, with an orange-haired man," he explained. "But I guess they're not here anymore."

Koutoku tore his eyes away from Yui for a moment to look around. "It's starting to get dark. They probably went to find an inn or something." These streets turned even more dangerous by night. "We should probably do the same."

He still could not quell that strange feeling that Yui gave him. The two girls both -- he didn't know what it was about them. He didn't understand it, and he didn't like it.

They were just emerging from the alley again, however, when....

"Thief! Thieves! Guards, someone stop them!"

What? Both boys turned towards the shout, where an angry woman was taking turns pointing between them and an empty clothesline. "You thieving little maggots won't get away with stealing my good robes!"

"Relax, lady, we didn't take 'em," Shunkaku fired back. "Does it look like we did?" He spread his arms wide, showing that they were obviously empty.

"Well someone did," the woman snapped, not backing off an inch. "Guards!"

This wasn't good. They were attracting attention; already a crowd was beginning to form around them, drawn by the mad woman's shouts. And Koutoku saw the armored figures of several soldiers coming towards them.

No, this was not good at all.

Yui looked around hoping to spot Miaka, but she suddenly looked back at her two tour guides.

Her eyes went wide at the attraction of Kutou's citizens as guards were coming towards them. She wouldn't have been in this mess if she had just refused the boys help.

Slowly, Yui started backing away as fear gripped her body. She didn't want any trouble in as strange city she was not familiar with. All she wanted was to reunite with Miaka, Keisuke and Tetsuya.

Yui turned around only to meet people standing in her way. This was not her day at all.

If Koutoku thought they could have melded back into the crowd to evade the soldiers, he would have tried it. But Shun was still arguing with the woman, and too many people had seen their faces; there was no way they could fade back into anonymity. Besides, even if he and Shun-chan could have managed it, Yui would never blend in with the crowd. And then the men were upon them, and all thoughts of escape were abandoned.

The crowd parted to make way for the soldiers, who marched right into the middle and demanded to know what was going on. They were all armed with spears; a few held them at the ready. None looked pleased. Koutoku suppressed a groan. They weren't in the wrong, here, but it was their word against the woman's, and he had learned long ago that justice in Kutou was only so fair as it was convenient.

"These urchins stole my good robes, sirs," the woman spat angrily, swinging her attention from Shunkaku towards the soldiers. "They've stashed them somewhere, probably at the bidding of this Hin tramp!" She stabbed an accusing finger at Yui.

"We didn't!" Shun protested right on her heels. Then the rest of the woman's accusation caught up to him. "And she's not a Hin!" But his eyes flickered back uncertainly between Yui and his brother. _She's not, right?_

At the mention of that accursed race, the crowd drew back a bit further, and the soldiers gripped their spears a bit tighter. The man in front, though, merely eyed Yui up and down. There was a glint in his eyes that made Shunkaku's hackles rise, and the grin that spread over his face was decidedly lecherous. "Whatever the case, foreigners aren't allowed inside the city walls without clearance." He grabbed Yui by the arm and pulled her towards him. "She'll have to come with us."

"Get your hands off her!" Shunkaku sprang forward immediately, wrenching Yui free from the soldier's grasp. Which, of course, drew the rest of the bunch into action. Grappling with the men, Shun managed to draw his knife and find flesh. "Aniki, get Yui-san--!" His voice cut off with a cry as the butt of spear smashed into his head, and he dropped helplessly into the dirt at their feet.

Yui had no time to process the fight. She was screaming however when the soldier had grabbed her. Realizing that this was no dream and somehow the two boys got her caught up in their troubles. She was thankful when Shunkaku came to her defense, but in the tussle to free her she ended up landing on her butt.

"Shun-chan!" The blow knocked Koutoku reeling to the ground as well, despite the fact that no one had actually struck him. He stumbled back up to his feet and threw himself between the soldiers and his brother, pain and dizziness evaporating almost immediately as Shun lost consciousness. "Stop, please don't hurt him!"

The lead soldier glared at the older twin, angrily wiping blood from his eye, before shoving him roughly into the knot of his men. "Take them," he barked. "Let the Shogun decide what's to be done with them." He bent down to pick up Shun's discarded knife, and stuck it into his own belt like a prize.

Koutoku did not resist as his wrists were bound behind his back, and he was hardly aware of the same thing happening to Yui. His wide eyes followed as his brother's limp form, also similarly bound, was slung over a man's shoulder, and then they were being marched through the streets towards the Palace.

For Yui, everything that came next was a blur as her mind was racing to keep up with the situation. She wanted to run and hide, but her legs wouldn't move. Her fighting skills were weak at best and made her wish for the hundredth time Miaka was beside her. The fight was over and Yui didn't struggle as they were taken away in handcuffs. No one spoke giving her time to think.

Yui looked straight ahead and ignored the lecherous looks of the soldiers. Her eyes hurt and she could tell that she had started crying, but stopped. If they were going to see someone important than maybe she could reason her way out. She really was an innocent by-standard in the whole situation until the guard grabbed her in an inappropriate way. The boys' Shunkaku and Koutoku came to her aid.

Her mind raced to think of good reasons they should be free especially since the woman had no proof of the theft. She did keep pondering what a Hin was and why the lady thought she was a Hin tramp. Her mind already told her it was a negative attitude toward a Hin and she could prove she wasn't one.

Imperial Palace, Kutou

The room with its richly appointed furnishings was fit for a prince, but none of those in it appeared to notice the grandeur of their surroundings. Couriers bustled in and out, carrying reports from spies and units in the field. A large table was in this room surrounded by a group of men, many of them looking harried, as they gazed down at the maps on the table. Maps that had been held open casually by a variety of objects, a rock here, a mug there, and a dagger over in a far corner. The maps were awash with markers representing the locations of spies, enemy troop dispositions, and the locations of the Kutou Empire's forces.

In this maelstrom of discussion and activity, one man sat unaffected by the hustle and bustle around him. A glass of sake, untouched, at his elbow, and a lengthy supply report in one hand, he appeared to be calmly reading as others hurried about him. Pausing, he looked up and motioned a commander over to him.

"Do you notice anything odd about these figures?" he asked.

"No, Lord. Should I?"

"Doesn't the food consumption seem a little high to you?"

"Now that you mention it, yes. It does seem a bit high."

"Excellent. Send a group to investigate and report back to me in a week. I also want the commander of that unit flogged. Thirty lashes should be sufficient. See to it immediately."

"Yes, sir!" the soldier stated as he rushed out to relay the orders.

As one soldier hurried out another rushed in and bowed, "Shogun, forgive me for interrupting."

Coolly, the blond man looked up at the new entry, "Yes, what is it?"

"Lord, some of the city guards have arrived with three prisoners. A young lady, possibly of the Hin tribe, dressed in strange clothing, and two young boys. They were accused by a woman who has come along of stealing a robe."

His eyes widening briefly in shock, he asked, "What does this have to do with me? This city has courts to handle these sorts of things."

"Lord, one of the boys stabbed a guardsman when they attempted to arrest the young lady."

Nodding, Nakago smiled faintly, "Yes, this would be a matter that concerns me. It wouldn't be good for the populace to think they could casually injure soldiers and guardsmen of this country without reprisal. Bring them to me," he stated, as he looked around the room. "And the rest of you, out. I want peace and quiet to handle this."

Hurriedly, the various soldiers and palace functionaries left the room, leaving Nakago by himself. Reaching over, he picked up the glass of sake and began to idly trail his fingers along the edge. This situation was definitely unusual, if only because of the girl. He was sure there were no other survivors of the Hin tribe but himself. Getting to the bottom of this could well be worthwhile. If nothing else, the explanation this girl would give should be interesting.

***

Koutoku walked silently between the soldiers as he, Shun, and Yui were brought into the Palace. His eyes darted wildly to the left and right, without really taking in anything. His mind was racing too fast to hold on to any one coherent thought. Wrists bound behind his back, his fingers unconsciously moved as though playing out a melody on his flute. What was he going to do? What _could_ he do? There was no way out of this. And what about Yui? Koutoku still couldn't sort out how he felt about her. While he knew he would abandon her in an instant to save Shun and himself, a part of him still felt compelled to protect her like his brother had. It was crazy; he didn't even know her! But there it was. He didn't understand it at all, and it scared him. He felt so lost, so helpless and confused, and oh Gods if Shun would just open his eyes....

His head snapped up abruptly has he was shoved forward before a man in a room filled with maps and scrolls and parchments. _Doesn't look like a prison_, was his first -- and only -- sensible thought before the realization of just who this man was smacked him between the eyes. The man was a Hin. A _real_ Hin. Which could only mean one thing. Kutou's infamous Shogun, the man rumored to have single-handedly hunted down and destroyed the Hin people -- his own people! -- a man spoken of in only the most guarded whispers for fear of drawing his attention, the man known as the Emperor's right hand.

Koutoku's shoulders sagged, his eyes slipping down to the floor. He and Shun were going to need Seiryuu's divine intervention to get out of this in one piece.

Yui wanted to give the soldier a glare for pushing her too hard. Her tears were dry, but her eyes were red. Quickly she scanned the room noticing the maps and various scrolls on the table. Finally her eyes rested upon the only other man in the room. His blonde hair and commanding presence were over powering.

She stood up as straight as she could and prepaid herself for the verbal debate that was about to start. Her mind was unfamiliar with this city's laws, but hopefully she could find some loophole to save all three of them from any doom.

Nakago studied the motley assortment that had gathered before him; a small grouping of the city guards, a woman claiming a robe was stolen, and three youths who supposedly had stolen this robe. There was something about the youths though, a sense of familiarity. Could one or all of them be some of those who he had been seeking? Was this girl in her strange garb the most important of them all?

His thoughts not showing, he turned to the older woman, and studied her. Then he asked her, "So these three stole a robe from you? Tell me then, why wasn't it found with them?"

"They must have hidden it somewhere after stealing it," the woman replied nervously.

"Maybe so," shifting his attention to the guards, he commanded. "Go back and search the immediate area for this robe. I have the feeling you won't be finding it, though. Also, based upon the fact that one of you was injured in a scuffle with a young boy, it's apparent to me that the city guard needs more training. Inform the commander of the guard to see to it. Also, release these three and have a servant sent in, I'll be dealing with them personally."

"Shogun, I must protest. These three thieves are dangerous. They attacked and injured one of us," one of guardsmen replied.

"Your concern is noted, but I sincerely doubt they'll be a threat to me. Now release them and go."

As the guards filed out of the room, he turned to the three who remained in the room with him. "Tell me," he said. "What should I do with you, and why?"

As the soldiers laid Shunkaku down on the floor and left, Koutoku was immediately kneeling on the floor beside him, eyes full of concern. "Shun-chan...." he whispered, their heads close together. But his brother did not stir. He wished he could do more, but his hands were bound....and then suddenly they weren't. Blinking, Koutoku looked back up at the Shogun. What was he doing? Admittedly, the three of them were certainly no threat to him, but still.... Koutoku listened, bewildered, as the man spoke kindly, sent for a healer and invited them to dine with him. He had never been arrested before, but somehow he doubted this was the customary reception for prisoners. It made him _very_ uneasy.

Still sitting on the floor with Shun-chan's head in his lap, Koutoku couldn't keep from staring at the Shogun, trying to reconcile this man with the one in all the rumors that floated around the city. The two seemed nothing alike. But....even if they were exaggerated a hundredfold, so many stories had to have their basis in truth somewhere, right? The man _was_ a Hin, after all -- how could a Hin rise to power if none of those stories were true?

"First could you please remove the shackles?" Yui asked. "They are cutting into my wrists and I believe I'm losing circulation." She explained her reasoning, keeping her blue-green eyes on the Shogun. Yui felt her knees become weak as if they were shaking, but she wasn't about to lose her calm composure. She tried to remind herself that dealing with authority figures like teachers was similar to, but not in the same league as dealing with the Shogun of an entire country.

"My name is Hongo Yui and I'm from Tokyo, Japan," she simply stated. "I am not familiar with your city's laws and these two boys decided to help me look from my friends. I was separated from them and these boys believed they saw a friend of mine dressed similar to me. Arriving on the spot that woman accused us of stealing a robe I've never seen." By now her whole body was beginning to shake, but really it was her fault for getting the boys into trouble. If she had declined their help than none of them would be in the mess. She already summarized the Shogun was a man who took quick actions. She had to make their case now before he decided to punish them without hearing their side of the story.

"The boy lying on the floor came to my aid when one of your guards grabbed me in a rude manner with a lecherous look in his eyes. He only meant to stop the guard from doing anything unmilitary like and that is when the fight broke out. Your guards had already assumed us guilty without hearing our side of the story and the result caused one of your men to be stabbed and as you see the boy lying beaten on the floor who, by the way, needs to see a doctor to make sure he isn't suffering any internal injuries." Yui added in the doctor in hoping she was able to play on any sympathy this man had. Her mind doubts it for he wouldn't be Shogun if he had any sympathy. Fresh tears wanted to emerge, but Yui wasn't going to back down now. She had to be strong especially since two people depended on her. A new thought popped into her head on why she was caring for brothers so much. She rationalized that it was really her fault and she wanted to repay them for their help.

Nakago wanted to smile. She definitely had spirit. Not many would dare to make a request so boldly of him. Of course, he had ordered those guardsmen to free them before leaving, but obviously the fools had been too nervous to actually carry out the order. Fortunately, that was no problem, almost all the shackles were of a set and he conveniently had a key with him.

Standing up, he fished the key out of a small pouch, and walked behind Yui. As Nakago fitted the key into the lock, the servant he'd ordered to be sent in, came in through the door. Unlocking Yui's shackles, he turned to the servant and ordered a physician to be fetched, three rooms to be prepared for guests, and food to be brought immediately for at least three people.

As he set to unlocking the shackles on the young boys, he turned his head and said, "I apologize for the guardsmen failure in releasing you as ordered. They must have been nervous. It's not every day that a city guardsman has to meet directly with me. I also apologize for my own lack of attention in seeing that my orders were carried out. I must confess there is quite a lot going on at the moment."

"As you heard, a physician should be on the way shortly for your young friend, and food will be along as well. If you would give me the honor of dining with me? You must be hungry," he said. Following his statement, he walked over to the table and began to calmly roll up maps and move things to make space for the food that would be arriving and provide a place for the youths to dine with him, though one of them would most likely be under the ministrations of a physician during that time.

He definitely had to learn more about this young lady, Yui. The strange place she spoke of, her missing friend, and how she had ended up accompanied by these boys. Hopefully, a meal and his concern for her situation would aid him in learning more.

Koutoku's fingers were moving again, playing out a silent melody he failed to notice. This whole situation threw him for a loop. Yui taking charge, the Shogun _agreeing_ with her and letting them go, none of this made any sense.

Worst of all, that strange feeling from Yui was getting stronger, as if the Shogun was also involved somehow. Koutoku shut his eyes and tried to ignore it. His head was starting to hurt. All this confusion, these things he didn't understand... He was just making himself paranoid, now.

No, wait.... His head was starting to hurt! That meant Shun-chan was waking up. "Oh, thank the Gods," he murmured under his breath.

Shunkaku's eyes fluttered open, and he groaned. His head was pounding. What did those soldiers have to hit him for, anyway? Assholes. "Aniki?" He looked up at his brother, then began to take in their surroundings. Where was this place? They weren't on the street anymore. How long had he been out?

Suddenly he sat bolt upright, his eyes wide. "Yui-san!" And immediately the ache in his head became a sharp, blaring pain. He closed his eyes and groaned again, sagging back against his brother.

Koutoku caught him, gently holding him upright has he tried to ignore the pain and dizziness in both their heads. "It's okay, Shun-chan," he said quietly. "Yui is....safe." He hesitated before using the word, still wondering just how safe any of them really were.

Shunkaku opened his eyes and looked around again. Well, wherever they were, Yui was here, too, and she didn't look like she was hurt. Shunkaku got a warm feeling inside. A bump on the head was a small price to pay to keep a girl safe.

Then his eyes fell upon the Shogun, and he blinked. Twice. "Aniki, tell me that's not who I think it is." But as his brother only tensed and said nothing, he had his answer. He reached automatically for his belt knife, only to find it wasn't there. Right. On second thought, reaching for a weapon in front of Kutou's most infamous Shogun was probably not such a smart thing to do.

"Aniki, what's going on?"

Koutoku just sighed deeply. "I wish I knew, Shun-chan. I wish I knew."

Yui smiled and thanked the Shogun for his help. She rubbed her wrists in her hands to hopefully speed up her blood circulation. She wasn't staring at him in the eyes anymore, but watched him closely. The way he moved and talked told her he must be a very calculating man. She listened to his words and if she wasn't in this situation she would have extended sympathy to the soldiers. Hopefully her short time here, very short time, she would like to miss seeing the Shogun in action.

Her head snapped back to the boys when she heard her name. A relieved smiled crossed her faced when she saw Shunkaku had awakened. Yui became puzzled as she noticed the boys were very tense. That could explain why her knees were still shaking and she turned to look upon the man causing that nervous energy. Yui tried swallowing, but found her mouth had gone dry. Her mind reminded her that this was a man who hadn't gotten through life waiting on someone else.

She replayed the scene in front of her again and registered the leader of the armed guards to be the only one injured. His face stood in her mind as she remembered his eyes looking at her in a sexual way.

"We accept your offer to dine with you," Yui began. She couldn't refuse since he was being very understandable for a man in his position.

Turning from the table with a pile of rolled maps under one arm, Nakago said, "What you describe concerning the guard concerns me, and I feel we should address this quickly. Hence, I have two questions for you. Was the guard you mentioned the one that had been injured? Secondly, what do you feel would be a fitting punishment for him?"

Her mind raced as she tried to come up with answers.

"Yes the man in charge of the guards was the one who got injured as Shunkaku and Koutoku were trying to reason to them. If it wasn't for Koutoku his brother would probably have been beaten in the streets." She paused for some breath and to quickly wet her lips. "I am unable to make a judgment concerning punishments for the guards of this city. I do not know your laws for I found out on our way here that they did not allow foreigners in your city's walls without permission. I'm grateful for you understanding of our situation and especially my circumstances for if I had known I had gone to the appropriate authorities. For you this seems trivial matter, but maybe a little more etiquette in talking to all parties before making snap judgments. Coming from a city myself I understand that in a large city also holds shady individuals and necessary force along with quick judgments are made, but not for every situation. We weren't even armed and we were facing spears in our faces." When she found Miaka and they returned home she was going to research more in depth the duties of a Shogun.

"You asked me and I've answered to the best of my ability. The guard you have pointed out will be reprimanded for he was unable to provide a good example to his men. What those reprimand details are left up to his superiors. It really is impossible for what you ask of me, but it tells me more about your leadership abilities." Yui added hoping the Shogun would see her last statement as a complement on his character.

Smiling faintly, he nodded then turned his gaze towards the two boys. "I see your injured friend has awakened." He knelt down and looked at the young man. "How are you feeling?"

Koutoku pulled his brother backwards a tiny bit, protectively, as the Shogun kneeled down close to them. He still did not know what to make of this man. He was nothing like what the boy had expected. Koutoku supposed that most of the tales in the city must be widely embellished, and they were only now meeting the real man. But doubt still nagged at him. He was always suspicious of strangers, and especially of offers that seemed too good to be true. That wariness had kept him and Shun alive for the past....much longer than he cared to recall. So when the man who was supposed to be throwing them in prison -- if not killing them where they stood -- instead was smiling and offering them help and food and shelter with no strings attached, it made him more than a little bit uneasy.

Just then the door opened and four servants came in carrying trays of food. Behind them the physician came in and knelt down beside the injured boy. Carefully he began his examination of the young man's injuries. While the servants placed the trays on the table and finished clearing the debris of the earlier meeting away, the physician poked and prodded the boy, as well as examining his pupils for signs of dilation.

"Hey, stop it. What are you doing? Get off me! My eyes are fine, it's my head that hurts." Regardless of who was taking care of him, Shunkaku had never been a compliant patient. He didn't like being poked and prodded and told what was wrong with him. He already _knew_ what was wrong; what he needed was a way to make it better.

Finishing his examination, he motioned one of the servants over and gave her a packet of herbs to be brewed into tea for the young man. As the servant left, the physician turned to Nakago and bowed, "Shogun, he appears to only have some bruises and a mild concussion. The packet I have asked to be brewed as a tea will help ease the pain of his headache after he drinks it. I would ask that someone be sent for me immediately if he has any severe abdominal pains, breathing problems, or begins vomiting. Otherwise, he should be fine in a few hours and with a good night's sleep."

"Excellent, you may go, and with my thanks."

When the doctor showed up and began examining Shun-chan, Koutoku transferred his distrustful gaze to him, as the Shogun moved about the room. Koutoku hovered like a fretful parent, torn between wanting to protect his brother and knowing that the doctor was only there to help.

As the healer spoke to the Shogun, Shunkaku got up to his feet, with only a little help from his brother. Both their eyes drifted to the table laden with food. Humble meal, huh? Shun's eyes almost popped out of his head. There was more food here than he and aniki would eat in a week, maybe longer. A quick glance back at the Shogun.

Nakago turned then and walked around the table to resume his former seat, as the physician left through the door. Motioning to the empty chairs at the table, he smiled and said, "Please be seated all of you. I hope all of you will find this humble meal adequate." Directing his gaze at Yui, he inquired, "In regards to your friends that you were separated from, I may be able to assist in finding them. Mobilizing the various city guardsmen, the border guards, and a portion of the military, should enable us to easily find them. Any information that you could give me about them would aid in this search. Obviously, I will be making it clear that any acts similar to what happened to you earlier will be severely punished."

"I can also understand if you feel reluctant to accept my aid, considering our initial meeting. I will not be offended in the slightest if you choose to decline my offer and the three of you carry on the search on your own. I only ask that you enjoy this meal and stay for the night in the safety of the palace. Then you are free to depart if you wish."

Was this guy for real? Unlike his brother, Shun was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Before aniki could stop him -- and before the Shogun could change his mind -- Shun dropped himself into a seat and started to dig in.

"Shun--!" Koutoku managed to get out before his brother was sitting at the table and eating heartily. He still wasn't sure just how far he trusted this man, but he couldn't deny Shun the food sitting right in front of them. And it smelled so good.... _If he was going to kill us, he would have done it by now._ After an excruciating moment of deliberation, Koutoku sat down in the chair next to his brother. His wary eyes lingered on the Shogun for a moment before he, too started to eat.

Yui had taken the seat closer to the Shogun. Remembering the fact she hadn't eaten since breakfast informed her how hungry she really was. She slowly relaxed in her seat and remembered her manners while she shared a meal with her new acquaintances. Throughout the meal little talk was giving her time to think over the Shogun's question to aid her.

First that came to mind was she has no knowledge to trust this man and he has none to trust her. All either had to go on was the brief conversation they've shared. Second the twins were tense until they began to eat. Yui made a note to ask the brothers later what they know about the Shogun.

Second he could have some hidden agenda that she would not be aware of until it was too late. She has read too many mystery novels that made her doubt even the best intentions.

Third would be some string attached to this offer that he added after she has accepted his offer. Those were all the reasons she shouldn't, but her knees had stopped shaking, leading her into all the reasons she should consider accepting his offer of aid.

The number one reason was she was a stranger to this country. Some of her mind still refused to believe that she had been transported inside a book. Second, she wasn't sure how far the twins would go into helping her search after today. For all she knew they would give her a description of whom Miaka was talking to and then be on their way leaving her alone once more. Third, she wouldn't survive without money and food for a week if she were on her own. Fourth, the Shogun had all the resources at his disposal to find her friends and really did care about her well being for the moment.

Yui took the napkin off her lap dabbing her mouth to wipe away crumbs before placing it on the table neatly folded. She also placed her chopsticks and remaining utensils onto her now empty plate signaling she was done with the meal. She looked at the Shogun and waited until she had his full attention before speaking.

"The meal was delicious and thank you for sharing it with us," she began. "I've considered your offer and I have an answer for you right now. I will accept your aid in looking for my friends. I can only give you a description of what my three companions look like, but the brothers saw my friend Miaka talking to an inhabitant of this city."

"He wasn't from the city," Shunkaku piped up from around a mouthful of food. The guy was too dumb. This city would have chewed up and spit out an idiot like that a long time ago. "Just some stupid bandit got separated from his clan, or something." He sniffed emphatically, and turned his attention back to his food.

Koutoku was pensive, silent for a long moment before speaking quietly to his brother. "Shun-chan, slow down. You'll make yourself sick." That was obviously not what had been weighing on his mind.

Shunkaku turned a sharp glare at his brother, sniffed again, and continued on as he had been. Aniki wasn't eating _enough_, was the problem. This was the first actual meal the two of them had in the Gods knew how long, and aniki was picking at it as if afraid it might be poisoned. Right, like the Shogun would poison his own dinner. Shunkaku knew that aniki didn't quite trust the man, but they should still be taking advantage of the situation while they could. So the younger twin ate like he might never see food again. Besides, if provided a distraction from the Gods damned headache threatening to pound his skull apart.

Koutoku studied Yui and the Shogun each in turn, trying to ignore that strange feeling he got from both of them. The Shogun had offered to help Yui find her friends, and Yui had accepted. A part of him sincerely wanted to help her. A different, much larger part thought it was damn foolish. Life was hard enough, without getting caught up in someone else's trouble.

He still didn't know why they were here, why the Shogun was being so nice to them. Even if this was the man's true nature.... On the street, you never got something for nothing. The older twin had been gauging others for ulterior motives for so long, it was practically instinct by now. But he couldn't read this man. He had no idea what the Shogun was after, and it unnerved him.

But still....if the Shogun was going to help Yui, then he couldn't be all bad. Right?

"Whether or not he's from the city," Koutoku said finally, shooting a quick glance back at his twin before turning to Yui, "your friend was with him. Miaka, was it?" If the man was a bandit, he might have sold her already. If he wasn't, well....he might have sold her, anyway. Or taken her himself. Or ditched her.

Or, he might be helping her look for Yui.

Koutoku sighed, pressing a hand against his forehead as if he were in pain -- which, in fact, he was. "It was only her, though. We didn't see anyone else dressed so oddly."

"Excellent. I'll have someone notify the various units to look for her and the others as soon as we have a definite description," The Shogun said as he smiled faintly.

Turning his head towards the young men, he inquired, "On the subject of the bandit, this could be a problem since there are several small clans operating throughout not only Kutou, but also our neighboring country of Konan. Was there anything the two of you might be aware of involving his business here in the city? If he came for a specific purpose and met with someone, I could hopefully have those individuals brought in for questioning. Potentially, they might know something that would be helpful in making a guess as to where this individual might be now."

Koutoku tried to ignore the shiver that ran down his spine when the Shogun looked at him. "He was looking for a healer," he said, his voice still a bit hesitant. Other than kindness, which Koutoku was not quite ready to believe, the Shogun would have no reason to help Yui. _But he has every reason to hunt down bandits_, the boy realized. _Maybe that's been his goal all along._ He sighed again. He just couldn't figure this man out. Maybe he ought to stop trying.

Just then a servant entered, carrying a steaming goblet brimming with a dark liquid. Carefully she set it down next to Shunkaku, murmuring that it was the tea the physician had ordered to be brewed for him. Then she stepped back and waited for further instructions.

"No he wasn't." Shunkaku actually swallowed this time before speaking up. "He just said that to try and rob us. Like we'd be stupid enough to fall for that. Dumb bandit. Aniki told him about an old woman who sold herbs, but he didn't even go." His attention turned to the woman who placed a steaming goblet of tea in front of him, then to the goblet itself.

"He had probably already been there," Koutoku told Yui and the Shogun, "and that's why he didn't go. Chances are he's still looking, somewhere."

Nakago nodded, listening carefully. This bandit could be a problem. "An herb woman he wouldn't go visit on your recommendation, possibly because he had already been there. When the commander of the city guard gets here could you tell him where she's at, so that she can be brought in for questioning?"

Yui listened and watched the Shogun talk to the boys. She wanted to believe that the man in front of her was the most understandable human being in the world. Yet suspicion crept into her mind that he has to have some ulterior motive. She herself wouldn't be so trusting and understanding of their situation. She would have tried to find holes in her story before going to great lengths to help strangers. He wasn't do that at all and that scared her. For he could be leading her into some fall sense of hope only to be crushed later.

Now she was letting her imagination run away with her and blamed it on all the mystery novels she read as a kid. If a ulterior motive doesn't appear than she be full of shame for doubting the Shogun's honorable character.

Shunkaku took a sip of the tea, made a face, and put the goblet down. It did not escape the notice of his brother.

"Shun-chan, the doctor said to drink that."

Shunkaku made another face. "It tastes like crap."

Koutoku sighed, pressing his hand to his forehead a bit harder. "It's medicine. Drink it."

"You drink it." Shunkaku was still kind of mad at his brother for not eating as much as he should have. Did he think another meal like this was just going to fall out of the sky? And aniki was worrying too much about nothing, again. The Shogun wasn't such a bad guy, and they were all going to help Yui. Things would work out. Why did aniki always have to second-guess everything to death? Shunkaku was frustrated and in pain, and not feeling very cooperative at all.

Looking up, the Shogun said to the woman, "Have some military couriers sent here immediately. Also, send someone to the city guard's command post and have their commander report to me immediately."

"Hongo-san, if you wouldn't mind waiting to describe your friends once the couriers and city guard commander arrive, we can avoid any confusion and unnecessary repetition. I hope this will be adequate."

Yui watched the woman leave to carry out the Shogun's orders. Koutuku's words came back to her about the location Miaka was talking to the "bandit." She hoped Miaka hadn't gotten herself into a dangerous situation.

"I do not mind waiting," she replied. "It also gives me a chance to describe all my friends too." She added in hopes that someone else was in the city with her.

Koutoku just looked at his brother for a long moment. They both knew that this headache was Shun's; nothing the older twin did would make it go away. As Yui and the Shogun talked, he leaned close to his brother and whispered, "Please, Shun-chan. There's too much to be wary of, here. I don't want to have to worry about you, too."

"Aniki...." Shunkaku studied his brother, looked into his eyes and saw himself reflected there. Aniki was just looking out for them, like he always had. It wasn't his fault.

Reluctantly, Shunkaku picked up the goblet and took another grimacing swallow. "Okay. But if this stuff makes me throw up, I told you so."

A few minutes later, the door opened again and the couriers along with the commander of the city guard filed into the room. All of them were red-faced and sweating, from hurrying to the room their Shogun was in. As one they bowed in unison, awaiting orders.

Quietly, he said to the gathered soldiers, "This young lady, my guest, has been separated from some companions of hers, she will describe them to you, and you will relay to Kutou's units in field to search for these individuals as time permits. I'd like to stress now that the people she describes are not to be harmed. If they are, the soldiers responsible will be answering to me. This search is to begin immediately, using any available soldiers."

"Additionally, these young men have some information on a woman in this city who may have dealt with a bandit who left with one of Hongo-san's friends. This woman is to be brought here so that I may find out if she knows anything that may be useful," pausing, he gazed pointedly at the commander of the city guard. "Yet again, she is not to be harmed. Additionally, commander, I wish you to remain for a moment. There is another matter I wish to discuss with you, involving one of your men who was injured today."

He then turned his head and looked at Yui, "Hongo-san, if you would begin describing your friends?"

When the guard along with the couriers entered the room Yui stiffened, but relaxed after she was introduced.

"There are three of them. Yuuki Miaka should be dressed our school uniform. It is the outfit I am wearing now. Miaka has hazel eyes and brown hair normally tied in two buns on her head. She would be the one my escorts here saw with the bandit. The other two friends happen to be Miaka's older brother Keisuke and his friend Tetsuya. Both boys are taller than Miaka and I," Yui got up to display her height. Than she used her hand to show by estimating how much taller, the boys were. She sat back down before continuing with the descriptions of her friends.

"Both Keisuke and Tetsuya have brown hair. I believe both boys have brown eyes, but Tetsuya had been wearing his sunglasses. Tetsuya has the darker hair color out of the two. Both of them should still be wearing clothes that will appear strange to you." She went on to the best of her ability to describe what their clothes should look like. At least Miaka's description had been easy.

Koutoku listened carefully as Yui described her companions. Well, it was definitely Miaka they had seen, wearing the same odd clothes and fitting Yui's description to a tee. But they hadn't seen either of the men. If the four of them had gotten separated within the city, then they were probably all still here, somewhere. If they got separated somewhere else, and Yui and Miaka wandered into the city on their own... Koutoku actually found that easier to believe. The guards at the city gates would have stopped such an outlandish party, but a smaller group might have been able to slip through unnoticed. If the guards were distracted by something else. Maybe.

He still didn't understand how Yui could have come into the city without knowing it was Kutou. No matter how far away she had originally come from, she should have been able to gather that information in the lands surrounding here. It was no secret, after all.

When Yui finished, the guards and couriers turned to him, waiting expectantly. At first, Koutoku was hesitant to give any information about the herb seller, not wanting to get an innocent old woman caught up in this mess. But on second thought, he had to admit that it was somehow less than a mess. He and Shun were in the Palace, and since coming here had been neither hurt nor threatened. They had been given a better meal than they'd seen in years, Shun had been administered to by a doctor, and they'd been offered a warm, dry, protected place to spend the night. Was he crazy for being suspicious of such hospitality? Shun-chan certainly seemed to think that there were no strings attached. Koutoku was starting to feel like maybe he _was_ just being paranoid.

He wished he could read the Shogun at all, even just a hint as to what the man intended. But there was nothing.

In a quiet voice, he told the guard where they had been in the city and what the herb seller's shop looked like. The Shogun just wanted to ask a few questions about Miaka and that bandit. He wouldn't hurt her. Right? Not any more than he had hurt them, which was not at all. Koutoku wanted to believe that very much.

He described the bandit to them as well as everything he thought might be useful. If this was all the Shogun wanted in return for everything he'd granted them, then Koutoku would give it gladly. If this was all the man wanted. The older twin still couldn't shake the nagging feeling that it wasn't; the sides seemed much too uneven to him. But he was looking at it with an orphan's eyes, not the Shogun's. The two of them had completely different mindsets, different priorities, and different goals. The Shogun could very well be thinking he was getting the better end of all this. Koutoku wished he knew what was going through the man's head.

Yui sat back and listened as Koutoku told about his encounters with the bandit and Miaka. She even studied the expressions of the ranking officers within the room. They all stood at attention, but their faces along with the muscles in their bodies were tense. She picked up a nervous energy from the room, but one should be nervous when in the presence of the Shogun.

Once Koutoku was done the Shogun dismissed those but the commander of the city guard. The commander stood off to the side while the Shogun finished with them. Yui had to admit she was getting sleepy and could do for a few hours of sleep. He summoned a servant forward to take them to the guest chambers of the palace.

Yui thanked the Shogun again for his kindness and generosity. In the back of her mind she couldn't shake a suspicious feeling that the Shogun was hiding something from them. As they walked towards their rooms, she gazed upon the beautiful architecture and tapestries of the palace. The handiwork was breathtaking and she wished to have more time to study the artwork. The young woman leading her stopped in front of a door and opened it up to the most beautiful chamber she had ever seen.

"This will be your room Miss," the servant girl bowed and moved aside for her. Yui said goodnight to the boys as she made her self at home within the room. The door shut behind her and Yui took in her new surroundings. Finally, she sat on the bed and wondered if Miaka were sleeping in a room like this one. She prayed to whatever god of this country that her friends were healthy and safe.

"Miaka, wherever you are, I'll find you," she whispered to the room. Finally letting sleep overcome her exhausted body, she stayed asleep until the late morning hours.

***

The twins followed as the serving girl led them and Yui to their rooms. Shunkaku had gawked openly at everything as they passed, from all the lavish decorations to the people themselves, dressed in such fine clothes. He had never seen so much silk and gold in one place, never even realized so much existed in the whole world. If he and aniki could get their hands on even the tiniest fraction of all this -- even a fraction of a fraction! -- they would never go hungry another night for the rest of their lives. Not that Shun was stupid enough to try stealing from the Emperor -- he'd be killed before he could blink -- but he still had the thought.

Koutoku alternated between watching his brother carefully and stealing furtive glances at Yui while she wasn't looking. Other than trying to remember the path the serving woman was taking them -- which was quickly becoming a lesson in futility; all these shining corridors looked the same -- he did not spare any mind for their surroundings. He didn't like this. Any of it. There were too many holes, too many unanswered questions, unexplained kindnesses he was afraid to ask about for fear they'd be taken away. But really, would that have been so bad? At least the streets were familiar. Out there, he knew where they stood. Here in the Palace everything was strange, and he was apprehensive as hell.

Almost immediately he chastised himself. This was the _Palace_. Here they were warm and dry and well fed. How could he wish them back on the street, with nothing? Some big brother he was.

"Mmm, aniki, it's so soft!" Shunkaku had bounced on the luxurious mattress for a few minutes, and was now snuggling up on it, ready to go to sleep. His headache was muted -- as were the rest of his senses, thanks to that tea -- and he had been getting drowsier and drowsier ever since dinner. A remarkably full stomach, combined with the medicine; he would be out like a light in another few minutes.

Koutoku smiled slightly as his brother curled up on the bed. At least Shun-chan felt safe here. But Shun never saw danger until it was staring them in the face. The serving girl had originally brought them to two separate, though neighboring, rooms, but Koutoku had quickly abandoned his to come here, unwilling to leave his brother alone for even a minute in this alien place. He sat in a chair by the bedside, still trying to think through the drowsy haze carrying over from Shun's mind into his own. What was he going to do? In the morning they'd probably be sent away from the Palace, which would be just as well by him. Unless, of course, they were offered the choice of staying to help Yui find her companions, which he knew Shun-chan would insist on. Koutoku, himself, wasn't sure whether he wanted to help her or not. Something about that girl still set him deeply on edge, and he didn't know why. A part of him said yes, he had to help her, while the rest screamed to take Shun and get as far away from her as possible. As for the Shogun... His thoughts kept going in circles around the man. Trying to figure out what the Shogun was really after was like stumbling through unfamiliar woods with his eyes closed.

"Aniki, you shouldn't worry so much. It's not good for you." Shunkaku's eyes were half-lidded as he looked up. He hated when aniki got like this, but other than trying to smack some sense into him, the younger twin knew there wasn't much he could do about it. Aniki was always worrying about something, whether finding food or shelter, or deciding what direction to head next. And now, when the two of them had suddenly struck the best luck of their lives, Shun was convinced that aniki was just making things up to worry about. Sometimes Shunkaku understood his brother less than a foreign language. "Play for me, ne?" he suggested.

Koutoku smiled again at his brother's lethargic request, and complied. With the first few notes, he felt the power of Seiryuu opening up to him -- the same way it always did, lately -- but he firmly ignored it, and after a moment it went away. There was no need to weave his chi into the music; Shun would be asleep in a matter of minutes anyway.

His mind didn't stop working, though. Spinning uselessly was more like it. Koutoku wanted out of this place. He didn't trust the Shogun, and he didn't want to be anywhere near Yui -- and for some reason both those intuitions made him feel almost guilty. He wanted to be back on familiar ground, where life was complicated in its own respect, but oh so very simple.

The quiet music continued long after Shunkaku had fallen asleep.


	8. Chapter 7

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Imperial Palace, Eiyou; late afternoon

Hotohori paced the halls of the palace, nervously. The earlier altercation had left him feeling a bit concerned. A showing of weapons, especially to the Emperor, was not a sign of good fortune. Terrible things could be coming. Why couldn't he feel them?

He was a beautiful man, and he knew it. As he rushed through the halls he passed a group of women, who blushed and giggled at his approach. A friendly nod and a wink, and he moved on. Have to give the people what they want. A little attention could go a long way for a concubine. What woman wouldn't want him?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a burning sensation took him over and all he could see was red. Stumbling blind, he pushed the door open into the first available room he could find. Without thinking, he slammed it shut behind him and rushed to the mirror. The mark couldn't have presented itself, could it? Examining his perfect skin he found no sign of the ill fated character, and he allowed himself a large sigh of relief.

There would be no battles yet, no disruption of his perfect peace. This also meant that the woman destined to be his wife had not yet appeared. No matter, she would arrive one day. Who else could be so perfect for him but the Priestess?

As he caught his breath, he heard a voice in the hall.

"The Emperor! Has anyone seen the Emperor?" The voice sounded as though it could be urgent. Perhaps it had something to do with the pain and the red flash that had just passed.

After a quick look in the mirror to make sure his hair was perfect, he stepped out into the hall again. "I'm here. What seems to be the problem?" The guard ran back and explained about the foreign looking people requiring an audience. He nodded, deep in thought.

"Yes, show them to the audience room. I'll head there now to wait for them. Show them in as soon as possible." He waved his hand to dismiss the guard, who took off in a hurry, and headed to his throne. This was going to be an interesting day.

Keisuke followed nervously behind Houjun-san. The Emperor. They were going to see the _Emperor_ of China. In all actuality, that didn't make any sense, but going along with this strange dream story they'd found themselves in, who were _they_ to come face to face with the head of the country? The man who was worshipped as if he was a god?

Houjun-san must be of great importance to request a meeting with the Emperor and have his wish granted within the next few minutes. That explained why he might be so calm about it, but Tetsuya? Why was he so cool about meeting the most important man in... Whatever-City, China?

As the doors opened, and he entered, Keisuke drank in the atmosphere of the throne room. It was an enormous room combined with ornate decorations. So breathtaking that he almost forgot to follow.

Houjun-san led them to the throne, where a regal person sat awaiting them. This was the Emperor? So young and... beautiful. When they came to a halt in front of him, Keisuke immediately dropped to the floor in a reverent bow.

Men were killed for less than failing to bow properly to the Emperor. Though he wasn't certain that this was really ancient China, he was taking no chances, lest he end up just like the prisoner in the pantomime he played out for Kaen.

Houjun smiled at Keisuke's immediate bow.

_I think he's a little nervous, no da_.

He turned to the Emperor, still smiling behind the mask. "Saihitei-sama, I think these gentlemen might be of interest to you, no da." He placed a hand on Tetsuya's shoulder. "This one fell into the courtyard pool and the other was brought to me, no da."

He paused for a moment, his brow wrinkling. What he had to say next… he had a feeling Saihitei-sama wouldn't like it. The two strange men, the odd flashes of ki and just his instinct told him that their miko should appear soon, if she hadn't already. Houjun sighed inwardly. _I can't stay silent. He has to know, no da._

He stepped closer to the Emperor and pulled his mask off in a way that would not allow the new comers to see his face just yet. Houjun lowered his voice before speaking. "I believe it's time for the Miko's appearance, Saihitei-sama."

Tetsuya glanced at Keisuke. His friend seemed to be sweating buckets. Small wonder--they were about to meet with an Emperor, after all. Tetsuya still wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but he chose to play it safe for now. He was also playing it remarkably cool; when he looked back upon it, he would say that either he was either still shocked and dazed from his rough landing or all the studying from earlier had made such an impression on him that he was taking the concept of Schrödinger's Cat to its extremes.

He dipped into a bow as well, not as low as his friend had but certainly enough to convey the man's superior status. No way was he kneeling. At all. Ever. He kept his eyes trained on the floor, though he straightened ever so slightly from the bow. "My apologies for making such a splashy entrance...Saihitei-sama," he quickly added. At least no one could accuse him for not paying attention to what the monk had said.

Saihitei smiled, but he couldn't hide his disappointment. Neither of these men could be the Miko. "Please, stand up. You are guests here." The monk's comments made him uneasy.

"The Miko's appearance? How interesting..." He got up and walked over to the foreign looking men. "Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Saihitei, Emperor of Konan. I'm afraid you've chosen a dangerous time to visit. We are barely holding the peace with our neighbors in Kutou."

His thoughts drifted for a moment, as the weight of ruling a kingdom took over him. He tried his best to shake it off. "But we will have much more time to talk about things that matter only to politicians and historians. Tell me, where did you come from dressed so strangely? Are there more like you here like a... a young woman, perhaps?"

Keisuke hesitantly rose from his bow. Konan? Kutou? Maybe this wasn't Ancient China after all. Even though that made no kinds of sense, thinking they were in a fantasy world made even less. But Kaen had suddenly started speaking Japanese, and... his mind was reeling.

"I'm Yuuki Keisuke," he replied when addressed, "I... We were reading a book in the Tokyo National Library in Japan, then suddenly I was in the middle of a town, where Kaen-san found me. It looks like Tetsuya came to your palace instead. I don't know if they're here too, but my little sister and her friend were reading the book with us. Saihitei-sama, is there any way we can find out if they're here?" he asked hopefully.

"Your sister?" The Emperor nodded, quite pleased. She must be the Miko. Tokyo was unlike any place he knew of. He turned back to the Monk.

Houjun pondered Keisuke's words for a moment. Perhaps he could kill two birds with one stone. The young man with the blue hair that the guards had stopped at the gate was still on his mind. The familiarity of him, though to Houjun's knowledge, he'd never met him, was disquieting but not in a bad way. Perhaps now would be the time to mention him to Saihitei.

"Saihitei-sama, if there is a young foreign girl in strange clothing we should find her quickly, no da. For her own protection." _And to see if she might indeed be the Suzaku no Miko,_ he thought to himself. After a brief pause he continued. "I'll offer to help search after our young friends have been settled, no da. Perhaps in the meantime the guards could be on the lookout? Not just for them but for another young man I saw earlier, no da."

"Yes, I think you're right. You there!" Saihitei gestured to one of the many guards in the room, "Set up search parties looking for young girls dressed strangely and post several look outs. Make sure these young men are well protected also."

Houjun hesitated, his mask still smiling outwardly. How could he put this to where it would not cause too many questions at the moment with the newcomers?

"Saihitei-sama, I do have good reason for asking for them to locate the young man and bring him here. I think he might...have something in common with you and I."

After Houjun's last, more cryptic statement, Saihitei's expression turned quite stern. "I see... we shall talk about _that_ in private. Keisuke-san, Tetsuya-san, I consider you my honored guests. Please, remain here. I've arranged a guest room for you. Wander the palace and the city if you like. You'll be watched over by my army to ensure no harm shall come to you. I would like to sit down with you later and discuss this 'Tokyo' over dinner, if you don't mind."

He gestured for one of the servant girls to come over and take them to their rooms. "If you don't mind gentleman, I'm afraid the Monk and I have some private business to discuss. Once you've settled into your rooms feel free to explore."

Houjun nodded and smiled at the Keisuke and Tetsuya. "I will find you two later, no da. After some food, rest and," he ginned at Tetsuya, "dry clothes we will go and join the search for your sister and her friend, no da."

The Emperor waited for the foreigners to leave before addressing Houjun again. "So... who is this young man we're looking for?"

Houjun then turned back to Saihitei and removed his mask, once the gentlemen were out of sight. "I only saw him for a moment at the gate. He apparently followed Kaen and Keisuke-san back here, no da." He tilted his head in recollection. "I didn't see him very well but from Kaen's description I'd be willing to guess that he is probably known around the market place, no da."

Realizing that he was skirting the issue he sighed. "To be honest, Saihitei-sama, I think he might be a fellow seishi. There was something about him when I saw him that reminded me of when we met."

Houjun looked down at the mask in his hand for a moment and then back up to Saihitei. "I wonder if we could detain him without telling him why, if you would not mind having your guards search for a blue-haired boy as well. If he is one of Suzaku's warriors then we will be that much more ready for the miko when she appears, no da. If not then..." he shrugged slightly. "Then we can let him go and no harm done, no da."

"If he might be a seishi then there is no doubt in my mind. We must bring him in. You have strong senses... Chichiri." He didn't often use their seishi names, but it seemed appropriate in this case. There was no reason for any of the Suzaku seishi to hide themselves.

No reason, except in the case of an Emperor.

"It is of the utmost importance to find this foreign girl first. If she is not the Miko, then the rest of us shouldn't worry about rallying around her. However, it would not hurt to know the face of each guardian."

Houjun smiled genuinely at the use of his seishi name. It was so rare that he heard it that by now the sound of it had become welcome. He knew, however, that the Emperor felt that for now it would not be wise for his own true name to be widely known.

"I agree, Saihitei-sama, that the girl should be our first priority, if only for her own safety, no da." He tilted his head. "I was thinking of taking the two foreign men out tomorrow and searching while showing them Eiyou, no da. That is, if you won't need me for the better part of the day."

Saihitei paused, thinking deeply about what the appearance of the Miko would mean. This was a serious issue. "Tell me more about this blue-haired boy. What did he look like?"

"As for the young man," he paused and thought for a moment. "I did not see him too well, no da. I cannot give you much of a description of his face right now. I'd like to meditate tonight and see if I can sharpen my own memory, no da. He did have a long blue coat on. It seemed rather brightly colored and he had a slim build." Houjun paused and glanced down at the mask in his hands. "I'll hopefully have more to go on in the morning, no da."

"Of course, meditate if you wish. I will rest easy if you are searching for the girl. However I shall keep my men on alert for any young, foreign looking women as well as young, blue-haired men in long coats. It would be a shame to let him slip by. I shall entrust one of my most trusted men in weeding out any who aren't protectors of the Miko."

The monk looked around the room and then settled his gaze on Saihitei. "Ano, Saihitei-sama....are we ready? Or at least as ready as we can be? Do your attendants know about who you and I are, no da?"

He grimaced slightly when asked if his attendants knew their secret. "Yes... and no." He sighed heavily. "The Miko can be a blessing or a curse. My most trusted men know the truth. The others don't need to know. As seishi come forward I shall ensure they are permitted free reign of the palace."

Saihitei sighed again. The conversation was taking a turn for the more serious. "If we are to give ourselves away too soon... there are those that might seek us harm. They might desire to harm our Miko or assassinate myself. For now, we'll stay relatively hidden. However you can tell anyone you trust. I won't force any of you to keep silent."

Houjun smiled and inclined his head. "I think that with the afternoon passing that I will retire early and think some more on the young man, no da." After a quick pause he continued. "I'll stop by our guests rooms and see if they will join me in searching tomorrow, no da."

He had watched Sahitei-sama's expression when the conversation turned to their positions as seishi. "I understand your concerns, Saihitei-sama. They are valid and well grounded, no da. I hope that when the Miko is found that the time will be right for all of us to be known as who we truly are, no da." He lifted his mask and paused before replacing it. "We cannot hide behind masks forever." He smiled wryly. "Not even this monk, no da."

He took a moment to settle the ever-smiling mask and then spoke again. "I will continue to keep your secret and my own for now. Indeed it is probably safest that way, no da. Once the Miko is found though, I doubt we will be able to continue as such for long, no da."

He reached out and touched Saihitei's shoulder before backing away slightly. "I'll be going now, Saihitei-sama. If you need to talk you know where I'll be, no da." He smiled again, bowed and walked out of the chamber.

***

Keisuke took in a relieved breath and then a warm smile spread across his face. The Emperor's army would be out searching for her. They'd surely find her if she was anywhere to be found. Lost in thought, Keisuke walked the hallway with Tetsuya, led by a servant of the palace.

Konan. Kutou. Emperor Saihitei. Warriors. Magic. Ancient China. How could this be?

Once they were inside their chambers, the servant handed them both a change of clothes.

"Should you wish to bathe, please let us know so that we may assist you," the servant explained and bowed low.

"Yes, thank you," Keisuke bowed in return.

The servant then took her leave of them. Keisuke plopped down on a plush red pillow with gold tassels. Looking over his shoulder and out the window revealed a sprawling, distinctly red colored city, still active towards the twilight hours.

"So..." he began, "Any idea what's going on?"

Tetsuya tossed his shades onto a table, pulled his T-shirt over his head, and wrung out the water. Water spattered onto the stone floor, and he inwardly winced at the amount. If his shirt was this soaked, he didn't want to even imagine how his pants were. But he wasn't about to strip in front of Keisuke now. Sure, they were both boys and had the same locker room experiences, but still...this wasn't a locker room.

The chill was beginning to seep in, and he doubted the servants would appreciate water stains on the wooden furniture, so he refrained from sitting. Instead, he dropped the T-shirt on the floor, grabbed a towel, and began drying himself.

"No," he said from the depths of the fabric as he toweled his hair. "You?"

"None whatsoever," he replied. When he turned around, Tetsuya still hadn't finished changing. What was taking so long?

"Maybe we can take a look around and get a better idea," Keisuke offered half-seriously.

In all actuality he doubted that any amount of touring the palace would give them any better idea of where they were, but no matter what was going on, this was his chance to get a closer look at an ancient pseudo-Chinese culture in action. How could he sit in the guest room staring at Tetsuya all day when so much waited just outside his door?

Keisuke gathered his pile of clothing, pulled out the dressing shade, and snuck behind it. He poked his head around the edge just to say, "No peeking!"

Tetsuya ignored Keisuke's quip. When his friend disappeared behind the screen, he stripped out of his pants, scrubbed himself dry, and scrambled into the new clothes in record time. His boxers were still wet, unfortunately, but the servants hadn't provided them with any underwear, and Tetsuya was most definitely not going without any underwear. He made a mental note not to sit anytime soon.

Hmm. Tetsuya looked around the room, but there wasn't a mirror in sight. He shrugged and looked down at himself. Red sleeveless high-collared shirt with fastened by wooden pegs and black slacks. It would do. Thankfully, the slacks were rather loose-fitting so they didn't stick to his wet boxers too much. He scooped up his shades, inspected the frame to make sure nothing was out of shape from the impact of his crash landing in the lake, and, satisfied, slipped them on.

Luckily, they'd given them relatively easy to wear clothing. Keisuke eyed his new tan, patterned, Chinese-style clothing with simple white pants and a red sash. It didn't take long before he emerged to show off his new outfit.

"Not bad, huh? We almost fit in now," he idly smoothed his sleeve, admiring the fine cloth. "So, ready to explore a little?" Keisuke grinned eagerly.

"Aren't you even a little worried about the girls?" Tetsuya asked, turning around to look curiously at the grinning Keisuke.

The smile on his face dropped into a frown.

"Of course I am, but there's no way we can find them during the night in a place we've never been before," Keisuke said, hovering near the doorway.

"The Emperor's guards are out looking for them. I figure, first thing in the morning we'll be setting out to look for them too. This will be the only chance we have to look around and familiarize ourselves with our surroundings."

"At the moment, our 'surroundings' only consist of the palace and the grounds," Tetsuya pointed out wryly. Still, he let up--this wasn't an interrogation or anything. "Maybe there's a map of the city somewhere in here."

Knowing Keisuke, if they didn't do something to take their minds off their predicament, they'd be up all night worrying. Perhaps in that time they could gather a few clues as to where 'here' really was. Maybe talk to Houjun. He seemed to know more about Miaka and Yui than he was willing to share.

Now was the perfect and only time to understand this new world they were in. And it didn't hurt that this place, dream world or no, was the singularly most interesting place Keisuke had been in his entire life.

"Are you coming?" Keisuke held the door open.

Tetsuya checked his pants on last time. That was one of the advantages of black--they hid water spots rather well. But this was only a temporary solution. He definitely _had_ to figure out what to do about his boxers later. "Alright, let's go."

After Tetsuya finally relented, Keisuke led the way outside of their room. He took care to appear as one who belonged, walking through the palace hallway, but people often stopped to stare at them. A glance back at Tetsuya and his ever-present sunglasses cleared that up.

"You think you might want to take off the sunglasses for awhile, blend in a little better?" Keisuke asked, not really expecting a positive answer.

"I'm sure that with or without sunglasses, everyone in the palace already knows who we are." Tetsuya considered the suggestion a bit more and shrugged. "Maybe I'll do that tomorrow when we're in the city."

Besides, Keisuke's ill-at-ease demeanor stood out far more than Tetsuya's odd appearance. Tetsuya trailed after his friend, a sardonic half-grin pasted on his face. Apparently their--or, more precisely, Keisuke's--efforts to "blend in with the crowd" were failing miserably. Tetsuya had already resigned himself to the fact that they would be recognized no matter how inconspicuous they tried to be.

Keisuke grinned nervously at everyone they came across. He was busy doing just that when he smacked straight into someone.

"Ah, I'm sorry!" he apologized quickly, backing out of their way.

Tetsuya briefly wondered what was with all the collisions today. First his own collision with that girl in the library, and now this. Was today "Bump Into Each Other Day" or something? He moved up beside Keisuke to see if they were both alright.

Stumbling slightly backwards, Kourin grimaced, trying to regain 'her' balance. "What was that for!?" She snapped rather angrily. Pulling out a small hand mirror, she checked her features, pulling back a stray wisp of hair before taking the time to observe who she had even bumped into.

"Oh. It's the Emperor's guests the other courtesans were gossiping about." She spoke rather softly, studying them with a critical eye.

Keisuke's eyes shot open at the rude reception. This allowed him to take in the luxurious silk robes, trimmed with what looked to be gold, flowing off of a beautiful woman with long... _purple_ hair?

"I, ah, yes, I'm very sorry," Keisuke apologized nervously, eyeing her hair.

In Ancient China they definitely were not. This was more like some anime.

"My name is Yuuki Keisuke," he introduced himself to be polite.

"Do you know where we can find a map of..." what was the name, "...this country? We're going to be out in the town tomorrow to look for my sister, and my friend and I thought a look at the map might give us an idea of what we're up against."

_You better be sorry!_

Kourin crossed her arms across her chest as the strange guy introduced himself, whilst his friend just stood there. The talkative one, as she slapped a label to the face that said his name was Yuuki Keisuke, sheepishly continued his banter.

"A Map?" A small smile curled on Kourin's lips as she gazed at Keisuke gently. "Oi! I can take you to the palace reading room. They have maps there." Motioning towards the medium-sized building in the east, she paused slightly.

"By the way, what are you implying when you say you need an idea of what you're up against? Someone after you?"

For someone who wanted to keep a low profile, Keisuke sure seemed rather adept at letting things slip. Tetsuya mentally sighed and shook his head before joining the conversation in an attempt at damage control.

"He means it's our first time here," he said smoothly before Keisuke could reply, "and we didn't exactly get a good look at the city, so we don't have any idea as to how large it is or where his sister might've ended up when we were separated."

He inclined his head. "And I'm Kawajiri Tetsuya. Your help would be greatly appreciated, miss...?" He trailed off expectantly.

"You can call me Ry-" Kourin paused for a moment, catching herself before slipping up by using her original name. Giggling slightly, she beamed. "Kourin."

Silence followed as Kourin trudged swiftly to the heavy iron doors before the reading room. Before Tetsuya or Keisuke could offer a hand, she tapped the door, causing it to shake in its hinges as it flew open. She giggled slightly to play it off.

_I keep forgetting my own strength._

"Let's see here… We have ancient maps and elevation-oriented maps, and then there's the map of all the countries..." She continued as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Tilting his head to the side slightly, Keisuke pondered this new woman. Based on any knowledge he held dear from the Sane-World, as he would now call it, this woman appeared to be a, albeit somewhat odd, noble or courtesan... but then, how did she open those solid iron doors with merely a tap of her fingers?

His jaw nearly unhinged itself and dropped off, before he pushed it back into place. Once inside, rather than the old musty maps, the golden figure of a peacock-like bird caught his eye. It glowed with an almost ethereal beauty, and at times, he could swear he saw sparkling red light drift around it. He rubbed his eyes, and his mind rationalized that it was merely dust caught in a red-tinted light.

Keisuke finally managed to draw his eyes from the statue and toward the maps she indicated, "This will help immeasurably," he looked to her and smiled warmly, "Thank you."

Tetsuya glanced at Kourin before looking back towards the phoenix statue. There was an odd sensation--almost deja vu but not quite. Tetsuya tried for a few moments to place it, failed, and filed it away in his mind before turning away and begin digging through the maps. Kourin's unusually-forceful opening of the room door and the red statue were only two more things in the jumble of weird happenings that had been piled onto him today; truth be told, he was beginning to feel blasé towards the entire affair. He didn't know if it was because the absurdity of the situation was shorting out the part of his brain that was protesting the impossibility or if he'd simply fallen into shock and this was merely a coping mechanism.

He hoped it was the former. The latter would mean he'd probably have a mental breakdown in the near future, and that would not be pretty.

As the men began to ruffle through the maps, Kourin glanced at the statue in the center and closed her eyes. Had these men, as the other girls had surmised, appeared from another world? Was Konan seriously in such a dire condition that the legend was about to come true?

_If that's so,_ _w__ouldn't there be a girl here and not these two boys?_ Shaking her head, she didn't want to believe it - no - she refused to believe it.

_Except..._ didn't the talkative one, Keisuke mention something about his sister? If she was here then that would mean she was the Suzaku no Miko, the woman the Emperor had been dreaming of marrying ever since he was a child. No, that wouldn't do. She'd need to convince this girl to go right back to where she'd come from.

Turning away from the statue, arms tensed, Kourin watched as they finished pulling out one of the ancient maps and walked over.

"Not so fast!" She exclaimed, snatching the map out of their grasp. Before they could protest, she continued. "You said you were looking for your sister, right? I'm going with you!"

Tetsuya looked up as Kourin swiped the maps out of their hands. He looked from her to Keisuke, then back at her again. "The more, the merrier," he shrugged.

"Why do you want to come with us?" Keisuke asked, puzzled.

Not that he wanted to upset the woman who practically flicked the ten ton door open, but he wasn't as easy-going as his pal, and he wanted some kind of reason why this woman wanted to leave the comforts of the palace to traipse about looking for a girl she didn't know.

Kourin paused for a moment, clearly pondering the same question herself. Why was she so bound and determined to go with these... rather talkative guys from another world? It wasn't just the urge to keep Saihitei-sama all to herself.

_'Something is calling me...'_ she decided, walking towards Keisuke and placing a hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eye. _'I feel like something is about to happen that no one can take back...'_

She sighed, unable to reveal her true feelings. "I'm an expert on the capital city. I know practically all the streets and hideaways and..." She paused, looking away slowly. "...I would like to meet this sister of yours. She might be…"

Stopping suddenly, Kourin fixed her gaze towards the statue once more.

"… the Suzaku no Miko."

Tetsuya didn't even bat an eyelash. Or maybe he did, and it was just obscured by his shades. It would forever remain a mystery known only to himself. "And what is the Suzaku no Miko supposed to represent, Miss Kourin?"

Her glance towards the statue didn't go unnoticed. Priestess of the Phoenix indeed. Ten yen got him a thousand that the statue was the Suzaku in question. Tetsuya looked around the room, knowing that there had to be a book somewhere in here that could give him answers. He preferred, though, that she answered him herself.

Kourin's mind was a vortex of emotion and she tensed up, obviously uncomfortable at such a simple question. Now she'd gone and done it… Clearing her throat she tried to push her feelings aside. But something inside was forcing her to be honest and concise. Once she began to speak, she couldn't stop herself.

She told the boys about how the world was split into four quadrants, and a single God controls each one. She explained that each God presides over seven constellations and that each one of these star patterns is devoted to an individual Celestial Warrior. Kourin paused at that moment and then explained that each of the warriors has a symbol on their body that emits a glow in various situations. Then she spoke about the Miko – how each God has a Priestess who comes from another world when the country is in trouble and that she alone must gather together the seven warriors in order to summon her God to save the country. Lastly, she mentioned that in Konan it was Suzaku, Lord of the South was who the people worshipped.

"It's nothing really, just a very old legend that not many people believe in. I mean, if your sister is really the chosen Priestess, then why haven't any of her Warriors emerged?" Kourin looked away from the boys, clutching her shoulder with her right hand.

_I know I always felt cursed to even have the mark, but there cannot possibly be six more people out there with a yoku of their own, right?_

"I've said too much and forgotten my place. Please forgive me." With a forced smile on her face, she walked towards the door, trying to gently push it open, but instead tore it off its hinges, leaving several Guards outside the room staring in shock. Blushing, she turned back towards the two foreigners. "I've forgotten my own strength again! It's nearing dinnertime. Shouldn't you guys be heading back towards your quarters to get ready?"

Turning towards the Guards, who were still staring with bewilderment, Kourin frowned. "Stop looking at me like that! Haven't you ever seen a faulty door before?"

Keisuke didn't know what to make of the local legend Kourin imparted upon them. The legend of the Four Gods was well known in Chinese mythology. In fact, it made perfect sense now why they had a phoenix as their god here in the south. That would mean to the north would be Genbu, to the East Seiryuu, and to the West Byakko. Which would mean that this place really was China, except for that reference to Konan, and an alien girl coming to save them.

All of this brought up more questions than it answered, but Kourin decided it was time to leave and pushed open the door - until it swung off its hinges. Keisuke joined the guards in staring bug-eyed at the destruction.

Either this place was very shoddily constructed, or there was much more to Kourin than the simple courtesan he had initially thought her to be.

"I just want to take another look at these maps," Keisuke protested, but the looks from the guards told him that he shouldn't have been inside that room to begin with, "Another time... with the Emperor's permission," he added hastily, as he emerged from the room behind Kourin.

Tetsuya felt like the proverbial Alice in Wonderland right now, and the rabbit hole was only going even deeper. Kourin had said that most people didn't believe in the legend, but did she count herself among them? Tetsuya couldn't quite tell from her expression. That musing was almost enough to keep him from noticing Kourin tearing off a door. Almost. He leveled a flat stare towards her, though his was tinged more with amusement than disbelief as the guards' and Keisuke's were.

"Dinner?" he wondered as he followed Keisuke out the room. "It was nearing lunch where we were..." He scratched his head, and then shrugged. As long as he and Keisuke were fed, he wouldn't have any objections.

***

Houjun paused at the sound of metal tearing and falling. _That's odd, no da,_ he thought and decided to make a detour before heading to his room. The sounds of masonry falling led him to the now fallen doors of the reading room. He stopped a small distance away and watched as one of the palace concubines hurried away through the cloud of dust. He tilted his head as she fled down a corridor. _I thought that they were all restricted to the Imperial Harem, no da._ Perhaps he should mention it to the guards later. Saihitei was a good friend and it would not do to have it said that he could not keep his concubines in order.

Houjun started to turn and head back the way he had come when two more figures became clear as the dust cleared. He blinked in surprise as the two foreign men said something to a guard and stepped away from the room. He shook his head and smiled. _They are curious, no da. I'll just hope for Saihitei-sama's and their sake that the concubine is untouched._

Though Houjun may not have agreed with all of the ins and outs of the palace structure he did know that any signs of disruption tended to reflect negatively on the ruler if discovered. _Perhaps she was lost and they ran into her,_ he thought, trying to think of a reason. The guards had not seemed overly concerned so he decided to put it out of mind for now.

He walked toward the ruined doors and the two young men, his shakajou rings making a slight ringing noise. "We meet again, no da," he said, his mask smiling merrily. "It seems you two have found a way to occupy your time this afternoon, no da."

The ringing of the monk's staff brought Keisuke's attention to Houjun.

"Yes. We were trying to get a better idea of what Konan looks like so that we might be of more use tomorrow when we try to track down Miaka and Yui," Keisuke explained. "I hope we didn't cause any trouble," he added.

***

Kourin left the two strange guys as she carefully threaded her way towards the Courtesan Quarters, her eyes locked to the floor. Somehow, she couldn't understand why she had blurted out that 'stupid' legend. It couldn't be real, could it? Frowning, her teeth grinding slightly, she passed through an open archway, stopping to lean against its frame, and hoping no one around could hear 'her'.

"Look whatcha got your self into Nuri." She sighed, closing her eyes. "If Kourin was here, what would she do?"

_I really don't know what to do anymore, do I?_ Slumping down to her knees, Nuriko wanted to just disappear, to fade away and not have to deal with life in general. _I know I tend to get carried away with things, but to actually blather on about the Legend? At least I didn't mention I was a Celestial Warrior.___

"It's just a stupid legend after all!" She said rather loudly. "Why believe in it? Why?"

All of a sudden Kourin heard the shuffle of footsteps a little bit away, and turned, wide eyed.

"E...excuse me? Am I in the palace?"

A boy, no more than twelve years old, stood there, with a lost look on his face.

"It's my first time to the capital, you see, and I need to see the Emperor about something important... but I think I'm lost." The kid looked around, trying to find something familiar or something that could help him orient himself, but it was all strange.

"Can you help me?"

"Sure. Come on." Kourin stared at the boy, surprised to realize that it was indeed a child standing in front of her. "Someone should have escorted you properly. Follow me."

She walked him towards the central courtyard, the youngster trailing behind her. _I don't think he actually heard me talking. Phew!_ Kourin beckoned towards two large doors.

"These are the doors that lead to the Emperor's Hall. He's probably still in there, since dinner hasn't been announced yet. I'll lead you in."

Saihitei sat, pensive. He was concerned about finding the possible Priestess as well as the safety of his people. The creak of the door brought him to his senses.

"Ah! My lovely Kourin, what can I do for you?"

He noticed the small figure behind her, taking in his surroundings. "Well who might you be? A friend of the lovely Kourin?"

"Your Majesty!" the boy squeaked, and fell to the ground, bowing his forehead to the ground three times and stayed stock still. He thought that Kourin would have taken him to a minister somewhere, but here he was, right in front of the Emperor himself! He just hoped the Emperor didn't notice that he hadn't bowed immediately and call for his head or something. He wanted to say something, but words could barely form in his mind, let alone in his mouth.

Bowing gently, Kourin tried not to blush. She had loved the Emperor from the moment she was accepted into the palace.

"Thank you, sire." She said, trying to remain calm, trying to stop her excitement. "This young boy has come to speak with you of something with great importance."

Nudging the boy, Kourin winked at him, her eyes speaking in a telepathic sense. _Go on, it's okay!_

"Oh, he has? Well then child, speak up! Or is Kourin's beauty simply too intimidating?"

If there was one thing he knew well, it was flattery. The boy was practically trembling, forehead to the ground.

"Don't be afraid. Speak your mind."

Ou peeked up a bit. "Your M-m-m-ajesty, I came to warn you... the prophecy... the stars are in alignment. The priestesses should arrive soon... and... and... the people are either scared or disbelieving!" Ou put his forehead down on the ground again, praying to Suzaku that the Emperor wouldn't be angry by the news.

Kourin's face paled suddenly and she was forced to grab a fistful of tapestry to stop from falling over. Her knees felt like they were going to collapse any moment - fear of her fate, perhaps?

_It can't be true... it just can't!_ Everything that kept happening today was drawing her to an undesired conclusion. _The Priestesses are going to arrive soon? That means more than one! No! I can't accept this, I can't!_

Kourin stared hesitantly at the young boy. She should have left him wandering the halls! "Your Majesty, may I ask for your permission to excuse myself?" Bowing her head she loosened her grip on the fabric, allowing her knuckles to regain their color.

"Of course, my dear. We'll be having supper soon, so I look forward to seeing you there."

It was obvious the news upset her. The last thing he wanted was to force her to stay. As she rushed out, he turned back to the boy.

"Don't worry, child. All will be fine. Why are you so concerned about the prophecy?" It was a question he might not want to know the answer to.

"Well, your Majesty, you see, I'm studying for the examinations here in the capital, and I have to know the stars and their patterns... and I was looking at them a few nights ago and they looked like something in my books, and when I went and found them, then they said it was the prophecy configuration, and so I looked up the prophecy, and I saw and I needed to warn you... it talks about kingdoms coming to the brink of destruction, your Majesty! I thought we were doing fine!"

Since the appearance of the foreigners, the whole world seemed to be changing. Stars were realigning and that special girl would soon appear...

"I will have all my best scholars look into this. Thank you, young man. Shall we discuss this more over supper? I've two very strange looking men you might want to meet. Feel free to spend tonight in one of the guest rooms."

"O-of course, your Majesty!"

To be offered a room in the palace was a great honor. One that the child wasn't entirely sure he deserved for bringing bad news. He bowed again and left the room, escorted by a palace guard to see where he would sleep.


	9. Chapter 8

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Outside the Palace, Eiyou

"I need to get my hands on something I can sell." Sou searched his bag. There was nothing left in it. He had sold off what he could, or what they would take. Since hiring himself out as a body guard was all he had left, he had to try again.

"Good people of Konan, the streets are a dangerous place..." Again he began his pitch.

A pebble skipped from the road to the grass. Sou sighed as he kicked another. "Today is just bad luck. Usually there's someone to escort, or in need of a good guy to ruff up some bad ones." He sat down under a tree and plucked a sprig of grass to chew on. _Or something to sell._

"...Please, I won't give over my child..." The plea reached his ears and his eyes shot open wide. A woman was standing in the ally way between the shop rows. The walls were high and narrow. Three men stood casing in an older woman. Behind her was a small child.

"Hey you" Sou shouted at the group, They turned. "Man you guys sure are ugly." Almost immediately, they came after him. One staying behind to guard the captive. A few kicks, a few punches, he took on the guys as they came while a faint red glow glinted out from behind his bangs. Not too long afterwards they were all, including the man held back to guard, lying twitching on the floor. Easy. Sou turned to the woman and child and told them they would be safe. The older woman thanked him in the best way possible, coins. _Finally, someone with sense in this city._ He patted the kid's hair and told him to take care of his mother. The child dug in his pockets and placed a small whistle in his rescuer's hand. He thanked the kid and waved good bye.

Sou studied the small gift he received and frowned, couldn't fetch much more than a few. Just then three large spears were thrust into his path. He Looked up to five guards blocking him in.

"Didn't think it would be so easy to find ya"

What could he have possibly done to get arrested? Bothering the guards at the palace? That's not basis for prison. Certainly it wasn't for rescuing that woman right? Remembering the incident with the foreigner earlier, he thought he may have a clue. The serious woman in red armor probably sent them after him for bothering her.

"Come with us."

"Wait, wait! What am I being taken for?" Sou asked in a slightly panicked voice. The guards just slapped on shackles over his wrists and pushed him along the road.

Two of the bandits from the alleyway walked up to the guards and threw smirks in his direction. "That's what you get for robbing my mother." One of them shouted over. The guards stopped and turned towards Sou,

"You're a thief, eh?" The guard nodded to one behind him, "So that's what this was about." He then looked over to the real bandits and thanked them. Sou stood, staring down and gritting his teeth. It would be no use arguing in this situation. The guard reached into his jacket and pulled out the small bag of coins he had just managed to earn. "Glad we caught ya when we did."

Imperial Palace, Kutou

The bars seemed to be mocking him; reminding him that no matter if he were able to open the cell doors he would always be a prisoner.

The Kutou general had rescued him as a pup and kept him in this dark cell for the last 15 years. He was by no means a small youth as he had reached his adult height at the tender age of 10 and had filled out into a muscular yet slightly dense young man.

He was large and hairy, more wolf than man and the last of his kind to boot.

The guards that fed him were terrified of him, sliding the massive trays of raw meat under the cell door and running away as if Seiryuu himself were going to strike them down. They feared him for his size and the animal way he would watch them as well as his apparent inability to speak. Little did they know that while he could not talk, he understood perfectly.

He understood when his master would come to him and send him out on a mission. His reward was always a pat to the head, a smirk and a "Good boy, Ashitare. You have done well," followed by an extra few hours away from his dreary cell in which to hunt for fresh meat.

The entire palace had taken on an expectant air as news of a strangely dressed female and two males trickled from the lips of the guards standing guard at the end of the hall.

His red eyes glowed in the darkness, his fangs almost visible in the near dark.

It was almost time for him to hunt a new prey; another girl dressed the same as the one who had come to the palace.

He could almost feel the pat on his head and hear the encouraging words falling from his master's lips...

He _never_ failed.

Nakago woke in a foul mood, despite the girl's arrival. He had not slept well, only falling asleep a couple of hours before he had to begin the next day. The servants stayed well out of his way the entire morning. It was the misfortune of one of the soldiers to be overheard laughing about the new girl, and that maybe the Shogun could actually marry one of his own race and spare the true race his contamination. Needless to say, he was made an example of, and the Shogun's mood did not approve much. He spent the morning checking reports from the field, supply logs, and the other minute details of a Shogun's life. This did improve his mood a little.

Nakago dismissed his staff and sat brooding for a moment. This girl he was supposed to find would not be easy. He needed a special servant for this hunt.

He strode towards the dungeons, scattering soldiers, servants and random hangers on in his wake. "Ashitare! I have a mission for you." He dismissed the guards and unlocked the cell.

Ashitare's head came up as his master's voice drifted through the dungeons. Excitement coursed through him. He knew that he was to hunt today and now he was to find out who his new prey was.

The cell door opened and there stood his master; cape slightly askew, blonde hair mussed as if a hand had run through it in aggravation, and a scowl of irritation ghosting over his face.

Ashitare crouched low, keeping his hands on the floor to steady himself, and moved to kneel at his master's feet.

"Ahhgruuhhh," came his growl as joy spread through him. His master needed him! He was to hunt!

Piercing red eyes glowed with sick intent as he gave his master a slight nod and waited for his instructions.

His master needed him.....

Nakago looked down on the beast with a sneer of disgust. The thing should be thankful it was necessary to him, or it would be like the rest of its kind... That thought hit him squarely between the eyes and memories of his own situation screaming through his mind. He shook away the unwelcome thoughts and looked at Ashitare more calmly.

"You will pursue a girl named Miaka. Her clothes are foreign and she has brown hair and eyes. She might also be with a bandit. She should be fairly recognizable, even to you." He said coldly. "Bring her to me. She is your only objective; I care nothing for the others. If she means something to them, they will come to me. She is the key, and no harm is to come to her. Succeed, and you will be rewarded." He bent down to Ashitare's level. "Fail and you will suffer my wrath. This is imperative to our survival. I will suffer no failure." He hissed. "If there is any harm done to her, ANY, you will pay for it." He stood and turned away. "Now go. Bring her to me."

Ashitare locked eyes with his master and took in the foreign scent that lingered on his master's clothes, using it as a sort of lead to follow the trail left behind by his prey.

With a deep growl, he slunk passed his master to barrel down the hall and out his private exit.

The day was beginning to wane as he made his way to the borders of Kutou country before he stopped to gather a scent to lead him to his prey...

_Ah... sugar and innocence tagged with cinnamon and fire. My prey shall not last the week. Master will be proud..._

An animal howl echoed along the empty path leading out of Kutou country.

His prey had only days left... he mustn't keep them waiting.

Imperial Palace, Eiyou; night

Kaen had spent the rest of the afternoon hiding back in one of the palace's beautiful gardens, trying to read. Mostly, she brooded. She was still very upset that her rooms had been invaded by a male presence. When she'd finally gotten past that, her concentration was ruined by the brief conversation with the foreigners, playing back over and over in her mind.

Finally, she realized what was bothering her. Her foreigner, Keisuke, had mentioned his sister. His sister was missing. Perhaps she'd been spirited away to this land by the same mysterious force that had dumped Keisuke practically into her lap. That was what bothered her.

She couldn't believe that she'd been so selfish, so caught up in her own petty annoyances that she hadn't understood the fact that there was a lost woman in need of rescuing. Kaen shook her head and put down her book.

Well, she decided, if the girl were in the city, it was probably too late to go searching for her now. The Emperor, if he had a human bone in his body, would have sent people out to look for her. And while they couldn't possibly be as competent as an Amazon warrior, there were a lot more of them then there were of her.

Outside of the city, though, that was a different matter. Kaen decided that she would go look outside, herself. She knew there was a shrine to her Goddess in the mountains not too far off; she could head there and pray to the goddess for the protection of the girl, and maybe a hint at how to find her. And it would give her a chance to take a proper cleansing bath in a holy spring, to boot.

It was a good plan. Kaen put her book away and headed for the palace kitchens again. She'd need some food to take with her. And she'd need to borrow a horse. It was too late to go out today, but she could go out tomorrow. The servants in the kitchens were as agreeable as usual, but the horse turned out to be the trickier prospect. The man at the stables didn't want to just give her one. She'd probably need to get Houjun to talk him into it. Houjun would see the wisdom in her plan. He was quite possibly the only reasonable male on the palace grounds.

Feeling thoroughly disgruntled, Kaen headed back to her room. She realized her possible mistake as she was opening the door, but thankfully, it was empty. She wrinkled her nose. The room stunk. And her bed was rumpled. Feeling mildly ill, she tossed the bedclothes out and asked a passing servant for new ones. Then she lit some incense and got down to the serious business of cleansing the male stink out of the little place she currently called home.

It took hours before she was happy. She missed dinner, so she asked another servant to bring her something light, and some tea. A different servant brought the meal to her. Kaen ate and then drank the tea afterwards, trying to concentrate on her book once more. The tea was sweeter than she remembered, but it was fairly nice.

After re-reading the same couple of lines over and over and the words making no sense, she gave up. She was so tired, and she was feeling a little ill. Kaen marked her page carefully and went to bed, dragging her feet the whole way.

She did not sleep easy.

_The angry man with his foul smelling breath._

Kaen moaned softly in her sleep, trying to curl into a ball.

Overhead, the stars were blotted out by black clouds.

_Cursing her name, calling her a whore._

The air grew heavy and pensive, the wind picking up.

_The man's hot, sticky hands, tearing at her clothes._

Blue lightning crackled through the clouds, not touching the ground yet. A growl of thunder followed, rattling the tea cup and pot still sitting on the table in Kaen's room.

_Those hands..._

Kaen struggled to break free of the nightmare, before the worst happened, and before the fallen angel showed up in her dream as well. She struggled wildly against some unknown pressure, her head aching and dizzy.

But the hands didn't go away. She couldn't break free, feeling so sick and weak.

"No..." Kaen managed to open her eyes. The room swirled with vertigo. Something was terribly wrong; she'd never dreamt like this, even on her worst days.

And then, in her swimming field of vision, she saw a face. A man, though she could make out nothing more with her blurry eyes. She felt a hand, worming its way between her legs. She opened her mouth to scream, and the man smiled at her, smug and sure.

The scream that followed was one of pure rage.

Lightning licked down from the clouds to strike at the roof of the palace. Kaen's room exploded in a snarl of blue light.

***

The night had been reassuring. Emperor Saihitei had given his guarantee that they would find Miaka and Yui, and everyone had been very helpful in giving them useful tips about the town. Dinner had been a strange affair. Dining with an Emperor intent on asking about his little sister, a boy who stared at them without speaking, the cheerful monk, and a concubine who still seemed embarrassed to be in their presence.

He'd gone to sleep still worried, but considerably less on edge.

Then came the crash of a neighbor's roof caving in.

Keisuke sat bolt upright in his bed. His heart was threatening to leak out of his ears. Eyes wide and frantic, he shot a look to Tetsuya, threw off the covers and jetted out the doorway, still in his red silk pajamas.

Tetsuya couldn't sleep. Dinner had been a rather civil affair, though he hadn't quite been able to get into it very much--the entire thing had been a blur to him, more or less, as he wracked his brain over the strange day. The irony wasn't lost on him--Tetsuya might appear cool and collected on the outside, yet Keisuke seemed to be coping to the day's events better than he was. In fact, Keisuke was sacked out back in the guest quarters right now. How in the world the guy could sleep when they were in the middle of Oz with no map home, Tetsuya had no idea. It was a trait that had alternately exasperated and amused him over the course of their friendship.

Then again, he couldn't completely blame the jitters or stress for his current insomnia. If his internal clock was correct, it was just past dinnertime back in Japan. The night was still young, relatively speaking, in Tokyo. Of all the things that Tetsuya had expected to assail him and keep him awake, jet lag, so to speak, had not been at the top of the list. The gods truly had a sense of irony.

That was why he was sitting in the reading room in the middle of the night, trying to puzzle out the historical texts through candlelight. There was a guard posted outside the door, and Tetsuya hadn't missed the curious yet wary look the man had given him when he'd asked in. He couldn't blame the man--who in their right mind would ask access to the public archives in the middle of the night?

Tetsuya leaned back in his chair and tiredly rubbed his eyes. His shades were dangling over the edge of the table, having been long abandoned as being impractical for reading in this atrocious light. He hadn't learned anything very important, just official historical documentation about the rise of the nation and its development. Nothing on the Priestess of the Phoenix, unfortunately.

He grimaced, massaging a crick in his neck, and was reaching for a new scroll when an explosion thundered through the palace, loud enough to rattle the lamps and send his shades clattering to the floor. Tetsuya bolted from his chair as shouts of alarm sounded outside the door. What in the world was going on? He snatched up his shades, jammed them back on his face, and made for the exit.

It wasn't much better outside. Guards and servants were frantically scurrying to and fro, exchanging hasty and inconclusive inquiries. Tetsuya grabbed one of them. "What's going on?"

The servant shook his head, shrugged out of his grip, and continued racing down the corridor. Tetsuya looked around. He could either stay here, or he could try to return to the guest quarters he was sharing with Keisuke. Or, he mused as he spied the majority of guards streaming in one particular direction, he could go see what that giant boom had been about. Knowing Keisuke, the guy would probably go see what was going on too; Tetsuya might be able to run into his friend at the site of the incident.

For Keisuke, it was almost like his body was reacting on its own, or like he was still stuck in a dream. Once outside, he ran down the corridor, searching for the source of the problem. It didn't take him long to spot it... 'it' being a massive smoking hole where a guest room, just like the one he and Tetsuya were in, used to be.

And lying just outside the doorway...

"Kaen-san!" he cried, as he dropped to his knees next to her.

He reached down to feel for a pulse and waved his hand in front of her mouth for signs of breathing.

"Kaen-san," he called more gently, as he lifted her partially up off the floor.

Cradling her head against his shoulder, he peered into the charred mess of rocks and wood. It looked like a fire, or an explosion. His eyes fell upon the figure in the bed...

He winced, jerked his head away, and instinctively held Kaen closer.

"Hurry, get a doctor, get Houjun-san!" Keisuke yelled to a frightened servant nearby, but he servant seemed much too paralyzed to move.

"Please, somebody!"

She couldn't see. She couldn't hear. Her vision danced with block afterimages, her ears rang. She knew that she'd been thrown backwards, that she'd hit the ground, but not much more. At the moment, all the really cared about was the fact that she wasn't being touched any more.

For a few brief moments after the explosion, sheer relief allowed her to waver in and out of consciousness.

There was a dim babble of words. Someone grabbed her. She dragged her eyes open, but her vision was too blurry. She felt sick, and dizzy, and completely disoriented. Her skin felt too small for her body, too hot, and she realized that on some bizarre level, she actually kind of liked being touched right now...

That snapped her into something resembling consciousness. She still couldn't understand what was going on, or really see, but she could tell that whoever was holding her, they were male. That was more than enough for her.

She tried her best to shout out her anger again, but nothing seemed to come out of her mouth. She struggled weakly to free herself, but her hands didn't have the necessary strength to do more than scratch feebly at the person holding her. She turned her head to the side, encountering flesh that wasn't hers. Good enough. She bit down until blood began to fill her mouth.

_Bastards, all of them._

Lightning licked across the sky, striking a nearby tree and setting its top ablaze.

"AHHHHHHH!" Keisuke screamed, as teeth sunk into the thin layer of skin on his chest.

He followed suit and bit down hard. With gritted teeth and shaking hands, he opened his eyes to see Kaen was trying to take a chunk out of him.

And was that blood? _Ahhhhh, man! Okay, breathe, breathe._

"K-Kaen-san! It's me, Keisuke!"

He didn't make an effort to pry her jaws from his flesh, nor did he motion to drop her. He also paid little attention to the now flaming tree in the now visible courtyard.

He swallowed and controlled his tone of voice.

"It's okay. Everything's okay," he said as soothingly as he could, tears threatening to leak from his eyes as the bitter pain clouded his mind, "I'm trying to help you."

If anything, Kaen was being held more tightly. Panic began to war with her rage. She squirmed, bit down harder, and then ripped off a small chunk of flesh off of whoever she was biting. A nearby flash of lightning blinded her again, filling her ears with the roar of thunder. Maybe it was the taste of blood or the energy of fear, but it at least helped her find her voice again.

What came out wasn't an angry shout; it was unsteady and edged with hysteria. But at least this time the words could be made out. "Let me go, you bastard! Don't touch me! Don't touch me!"

Well. This was different; Tetsuya had to give the situation that. He threaded his way through the gathering crowd and got to Keisuke's side. Tetsuya could sense more than see the approach of guards not far behind him.

Options. Tetsuya could try to pry the woman off Keisuke, but he didn't want whatever had happened here to repeat itself, and he had a suspicion that this woman knew how to harbor a grudge if he ever tried to use force on her. Plus, he didn't want Keisuke turning on him either. So that was out.

Plan B, then.

"Keisuke!" he said, his voice knifing through the babble. He only hoped that Keisuke had enough presence of mind to notice him. "Put her down."

Tetsuya's voice cut through his brain. Yeah, he should probably---

"GAAAAH!" Keisuke screamed, as she bit even harder.

Tears flowing freely down his face, he at least had the presence of mind to gently place her on the floor, rather than flinging her like she was a venomous snake.

"Ahhh, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts," was his mantra, as he pressed his hands down on his bare, bleeding skin.

Luckily, she hadn't actually ripped any skin off of him, but she'd managed to tear a hole in his pajama top. He sucked in shallow breaths.

"I... I think that doctor thing, would be an even better idea now," he told Tetsuya.

There was a blast of warm air. He turned, and the raging fire reflected in his eyes. The blaze leapt wildly onto the rooftops. Soon, it would become an uncontrollable inferno. Everyone needed to evacuate. They _all_ needed to get out.

He looked down at the angry woman beside him.

That'd mean transporting her too.

Guards rushed onto the scene, and without asking any questions, they motioned to grab the two foreigners.

Keisuke looked up at a burly, bearded man in armor, who had grabbed him by the elbow.

"What are you doing?! We all need to get out of here before everything burns dow--owwwww!" Keisuke cried as his hand was yanked away from its place on his chest.

Tetsuya's first reaction was concern. Given how Keisuke was behaving and the sight of blood trickling between his fingers from his wound, it was only natural. His second reaction was one of anger, directed towards the woman (Kaen, was it?). His third, oddly enough, was one of resignation--albeit good-natured resignation--at the realization that it seemed that he'd just been thrust into the position of caretaker once again.

Before he could do anything, however, a bolt of lightning crashed down nearby, so close that he felt all the hairs on the back of his neck and his arms stand on end. A giant clap of thunder rolled in almost immediately, and he winced at the blast of noise. Before he could reorient himself, someone roughly grabbed him by his collar and yanked him backwards. He flailed, nearly went down, and barely regained his balance. His indignant squawk or struggles were useless as he was man-handled out the room, and he glimpsed Keisuke being hauled out as well.

"Hey, what in the wor...erk!" Someone barreled into him, sending him crashing against the near wall. Tetsuya found his footing, pushed his shades back into place, and turned. Servants were hastily rushing in to battle the flames with pails of water. It was probably a vain effort. He shook his head clear and forced himself to reconsider his priorities.

Keisuke. Where in all the chaos was Keisuke?

***

Something startled Kourin awake, jarring her from her rather vivid dreams of days long past...

"Kourin-chan?" She groaned as she tossed herself to the left, crashing onto the stone floor below. Wincing, she wrinkled her nose as the stench of something burning - and her ears picked up the sounds of chaos.

"Great, just peachy." Eyes fluttering open, Kourin looked around as the other concubines were dashing around in mindless panic, gathering their various odds an' ends as several screamed, whilst others dashed outside, sobbing.

"The Palace is burning!! Suzaku has abandoned us!!" Wept one girl near to Kourin. "We're all dooooomed!"

"Yeah, Suzaku abandoned us, all right..." Kourin folded her arms as she casually changed into proper attire, pulling her long purple hair up. Frowning as the tension was rising, Kourin grimaced as she saw her 'mark' faintly shining, pulling a shawl over it. "Come on," She snapped at the sobbing girl. "We gotta get out of here. You can sob later!"

She grabbed the girl by the hand as several of the guardsmen entered the chambers and made her way past the doors to the huge courtyard beyond. Once there, she practically dragged the girl with her towards the palace entrance, where it looked like everyone else was converging. She caught a glimpse of one of the foreign men trying to fight against the surge of servants and other various people of importance. Guards struggled to make order.

"I wonder where His Majesty is..." Kourin murmured as she gently let go of the girl, looking around at the scene. The Palace had to be a done for, unless something was able to quell the raging inferno.

***

Houjun sprinted down the hallway toward Kaen's room following the screams and the fear and the rage that emanated from there. He had been deep in meditation when the first hint of something wrong struck him. It had been a tickle at the back of his mind and he had put it down to someone nearby having a particularly bad nightmare.

That was his first mistake. The second was freezing for a long moment when the explosion ripped through the night. The pain and hate that preceded it had cut so deeply into his trance that it almost felt as though it were his own. It had locked him in place for a moment, trapped in a nightmare.

As soon as he had pulled free he began to run. The terrible storm outside revived his own bad memories but he pushed them to the side.

_Kaen-san....what happened?_

As he came nearer he realized that others were running with him carrying buckets of water. Kaen's room was spouting flames. Houjun looked around quickly, trying to see if she had made it out safely. He spotted one of the strangers amidst the others who were trying to quell the fire but there was no sign of the proud warrior woman.

He glanced up at the sky briefly and decided to make the most of the storm. Closing his eyes, he reached up and fingered the bead that hung around his neck. The words that he whispered were soft syllables that were whipped away by the winds. After he was done he waited a second more before he felt the moisture in the air. It would rain soon if this were a normal storm.

_Something tells me that this may not be the case, no da._

He looked around once more, searching for the familiar form of the Amazon. When she did not appear he took his mask off, dipped it into a bucket of water as a servant carried it past and replaced the damp item quickly.

Then he ran into the room, hoping only to find Kaen and get her to safety before the rest of the room came down on them. "Kaen-san!" he yelled, trying to be heard over the thunder. "Can you hear me, no da?"

***

The confusing roar of voices and thunder slowly resolved themselves into something a little more coherent. She felt much calmer, now that no one was touching her. But her skin ached and felt far too hot. It was just far, far too hot outside.

Kaen gathered herself and slowly sat up, keeping herself upright by propping her arms against the ground. Far too hot. If it would just rain, cool, soothing rain, the situation would begin to feel so much better.

As if in answer to her thoughts, the sky opened up and cool rain began to fall. Lightning still prowled through the clouds, but for the moment, it seemed content to stay there. Kaen turned her face up toward the rain, her mouth open, and drank it in. She felt so much better already. As the rain soaked her down, she thought she might even eventually feel clean.

With the feverish heat within no longer distracting her, the commotion around finally caught her attention. Men yelling. People seemed to be in pain. What on earth had happened, anyway? Then she picked out one voice, nearby, from the confusing mess. The foreigner that she'd given to Houjun. He sounded quite upset.

Wait a minute. She'd said that she would protect him. So, if harm was coming to him, she'd best do something about it.

Kaen dragged herself to her feet, reeling dizzily. The rain plastered her hair across her face, weighing down her already much abused night clothes. She caught sight of the strange hair of the foreigner. Someone was threatening him. It didn't really register in her mind who that might be - she was still far too dizzy. She shouted, "You! Unhand him!" at the foreigner's attacker.

Kaen was... She was standing up for him. Keisuke blinked. That almost made up for her biting him. The wound on his chest cried out in protest. Yeah, almost indeed.

The guards didn't look like they were going to back down, however. Despite her threats, she was still 'just' a half-dressed, almost drunken-looking woman. Oh, if they tried to fight her, there'd be an entire universe of pain awaiting them.

Just as the smoke was smarting enough to make his eyes water, the phoenix god must've descended, as the Emperor returned and had them freed. Houjun beckoned them down the hallway. But Keisuke wasn't about to leave until he was sure everyone else was safe too.

"Tetsuya?" he called, knowing he'd heard his buddy's voice before.

Waving smoke away from his face, he coughed into his sleeve and winced.

_Aw man, I'm just glad she didn't get my nipple._

It was hard making out anything specific amidst the chaos, but Tetsuya persevered. No way was he going to abandon his best friend in this mess. Unfortunately, he couldn't do much from where he was wedged against the corridor wall just outside the room--if he took as much as one step from his current position, the stream of bodies scurrying to and fro would probably sweep him along in a random direction.

"Keisuke!" he yelled. Had that been Keisuke shouting his name? "Keisuke, I'm outside! Get yourself outta there right now!"

For a moment he considered diving into the room and looking for his friend, then decided against it. Between the smoke and the rising temperatures, it would be foolhardy. Tetsuya would give Keisuke a couple of moments to respond. If there was none, or if Keisuke decided to remain inside for whatever reason, then Tetsuya would charge in.

***

Saihitei was just settling in for a good night's rest when a rumbling sound echoed through the halls. "Are we being attacked?" He leapt out of bed and grabbed his sword. The hallway was full of people, looking worried, confused, and completely terrified.

"I will find out the cause of this noise. Everyone! Go back to your rooms, please. Guards, please ensure everyone in the halls have been escorted back." He took off towards the sound. Smoke and flame were coming out of Kaen's room. "You there!" he shouted to some of the guards, "I want you to take as many men as you can find and start bringing water to douse the flame!"

The guards took off in a hurry. They would be returning as quickly as they could, but would it be fast enough? There was yelling from the room. Saihitei ran forward and discovered a very out-of-it Kaen, the foreigners, and Houjun.

"This is no time to argue, get out of this area now! I won't have you dying of smoke inhalation. You there, let go of the foreign boys and get more water!" It was time to act the role of a leader, and he seemed to be succeeding. Pushing people back, the guards were coming with the water. They seemed to have found men in the palace willing to help. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Houjun! Grab her and get her out of the way!"

Houjun turned his head sharply at Saihitei's shout, nodded, and then continued his fight through the flames to where Kaen stood over Keisuke and the guard. The rain continued to fall, slowly helping the people put out the flames but in the middle of the room the fire still blazed high and wild.

He called out again, the smoke making his voice more ragged than normal, "Kaen-san! Keisuke-san!" He reached them finally just in time to see Kaen shouting at the guard. He grabbed at the guard's sleeve and caught his attention. "The Emperor needs all of you trying to put this out, no da," he yelled to be heard. "I'll get them out, no da."

The guard looked back at the rather imposing woman then back at Houjun's ash-covered mask before coughing and nodding his assent. As the guard ran off Houjun turned quickly back to the unlikely pair. "Hurry! The rest of this room could come down any minute on all of us, no da." He pointed the way he had come. "We can make it out through there, no da."

***

The loud sound was muffled behind the thick walls of the prison. Even so, it was enough to jolt Sou from his thin sleep on the stone floor. Groggily his mind tried to work out whether the noise had come from his dream or the waking world as two guards ran past his cell. He watched them fly by and blinked a few times to make sure he was awake. When his body caught up to his thoughts, he jumped up to the prison bars and strained to see down the hallway.

Nothing but empty corridors lit in torches stood outside the bars. There were shouts and stamping over head and another loud clap of what sounded like thunder. Then the smell floated in. A faint wood smell that slowly began to thicken in the hallway. Wood and… smoke, but it was too hot to be lighting a fire. His half sleeping mind finally snapped to the conclusion seconds latter.

Panic pushed through his veins when Sou realized he was trapped in a burning building and the guards had all run out.

"HEEY! HEEEEEEY! Get me out of here!"

His calls echoed off the walls as the smell thickened further. He stepped back from the bars looked desperately around the cell for something to break out with. Thoughts of Yuiren lying weak from hunger on the floor flooded his head. If he died here his family would be left to starve, his father too sick to leave his bed would never get medicine, his brothers and sisters left to fend for themselves. A faint jingle and heavy footsteps broke his building fear and he once again focused on the corridor. He snapped out an arm and caught the passing guard. The guard let out a brief scream and turned panicked towards Sou.

"Is the palace burning?" A silly question given the evidence, but no harm in making sure.

"...L...Lighting struck, Suzaku has been... A...angered."

"Let me out of here, I'll die if you keep me behind bars."

To Sou's surprise the guard shook his head.

"Are you MAD? The Palace is burning! I'm only here under false charges of pick pocketing. That isn't a crime punishable by death!"

The shivering guard again only shook his head and tried to yank free. Sou clicked his tongue in annoyance and reached for the man's keys. Once he had a firm grasp on the ring, he let him go. Finding the right key, he freed himself and ran out of the room.

***

The guard wasn't bothering her foreigner any more. That was good. Prompted by the sound of Houjun's voice, Kaen moved further from the burning room and tree. She kept her arms wrapped tightly around herself, stumbling as she walked if drunk, and shivering as the rain soaked through her thin night clothes. As if she didn't already have enough problems, her stomach was beginning to assert that it was very unhappy as well.

Confused by the numbers of people and the babble of voices, she headed slowly toward the garden, and hopefully a pool where she could... she just felt too dirty. She didn't want to think about it at all. She flinched and stumbled away from anyone attempting to touch her, concentrating on trying to get away from the mess and chaos.

That was it. His cue. Tetsuya's voice told him to get the hell out and that's exactly what he was going to do. Unable to see Houjun, and praying for his safe escape, Keisuke followed Kaen outside to the garden. He still hadn't spotted Tetsuya, so he decided that he'd look for him a fair distance from the quietly smoldering palace.

The open air helped clear some of the smoke, and wiping at his soot-covered eyes, Keisuke scanned the area for his friend.

Crowds milled around helplessly, their faces lit by the flames. The falling rain and the efforts of the soldiers were slowly combating the blaze, but it still crackled merrily away. The tree that had been struck asunder and the scorched grass beneath it were steaming.

Though he didn't see Tetsuya, he did notice Kaen, reeling and kneeling beside a pool of water. Without regard for his safety, he approached, but kept a fair distance from her in order not to startle her.

"Kaen-san, are you all right?" he asked.

He kept a lookout for Tetsuya and Houjun, praying that everyone had made it out alive. If Tetsuya didn't surface soon, Keisuke would have to go searching for him, but for now, he could check on his self-proclaimed protectress and look for his bud from here.

***

The scent of smoke was thick. After coughing out the soot he had collected in the short time inside, Sou drew in a long breath of the fresher air. Sou peeked out from behind a statue to survey the site.

There were a good number of servants and courtesans running around in panic, but the majority of the people had cleared out of the danger zone or were helping with the all-too-slow bucket brigade. He spotted the woman he had encountered before, even in all this confusion she was hard to miss. Standing behind her was the charge she had threatened to kill him to protect. Sou was glad they all seemed distracted by something; he didn't want to have another encounter with her.

Other than the two he recognized, from what he could see, things looked chaotically under control with no one paying attention to a recently emancipated prisoner. Taking this as divine intervention, he turned toward the palace gates and hoped he could make a clean get away.

***

As the Emperor ordered people about, he saw Kaen free herself of the smoke. A twinkle on her thigh distracted him for but a moment. This was not going well.

"That's it! I need everyone who is not Palace staff in the courtyard!" He began ushering the others outside. He grabbed the Monk by the arm and whispered "Watch her... watch her carefully."

He directed guards, telling them where to throw the water. The fire would be out soon enough, but how would he explain this? A candle perhaps... yes. A servant knocked over a candle and has been punished appropriately. No blame should be placed on Kaen or himself in that situation.

"Everyone, get outside! The flames will be out soon but try not to breathe in the smoke!"

Tetsuya hesitated for a long moment outside the room, torn between heading inside and going outside, when the decision was taken out of his hands as a servant stumbled into him, forcing him into the press of bodies flowing outdoors, and he was carried out into the courtyard. For a long moment, all he was concerned with was keeping his footing and preventing himself from being trampled. When he finally righted himself and tried to regain his bearings, he found himself standing in the courtyard, an island of calm amidst a sea of chaos and disjointed conversations.

He took a deep breath to center himself, and then looked around. He wasn't sure how he was going to find Keisuke in all this confusion, so he kept his eyes peeled for any familiar face: the Emperor, that monk who'd fished Tetsuya out of the water...anyone.

In spite of the rain still pelting down, Kaen reached down into the pool and did her best to splash herself with the water, murmuring prayers. Her aim was rather off, but some of the water got on her - not that it made much of a difference.

Someone was talking to her.

She slowly turned to look at the foreigner, squinting against the rain and dizziness. "I... I don't feel well," she said.

Her stomach had enough at that point. All illusion of preserving her dignity gone, she lurched to the side and threw up on one of the bushes.

Keisuke watched as Kaen attempted to splash water on herself, barely touching her skin, but giving the grass a good drink. He winced as she vomited into the bushes. What had happened to her? This woman did not resemble the fierce warrior who rescued him from a public stoning.

Kneeling beside her, he cupped his hands and dipped them into the water. Once it seemed as though she had cleared herself out, he cautiously offered her a drink.

"Here, this'll at least wash your mouth out, then we'll see about getting you out of here and to some real help, okay?" he said gently.

Kaen shuddered, fighting off another bout of nausea. Her mouth tasted foul, and she was so very thirsty. Carefully, she leaned in, grabbing the foreigner's wrists to steady herself and drank. Water had never tasted so good before.

The little bit of water was enough to stave off the thirst for now. It allowed Kaen to notice the fact that she was, indeed, touching the foreigner. Part of her rebelled in disgust, that she was touching a man. But that strange, feverish feeling that was making her vision waver and her stomach rebel forced her to realize that actually, it felt rather nice.

And it demanded more.

It was too confusing. There had to be some kind of curse on her, some sickness.

Kaen's fingers quivered, tightening on Keisuke's arms. Slowly, she moved her hands higher, her eyes wide open and staring. Her breath came fast, like she'd been running. "Please... help me..." She tugged Keisuke toward her.

Smiling softly, Keisuke allowed Kaen to drink her fill from his hands. Good, that'd keep her from becoming dehydrated at the very least. She sat still for a moment, and he was about to reach out a hand to steady her, when he felt her fingers wrap around his arms instead.

A wave of heat washed over his face. Her fingers were so soft... why had he expected them to be much rougher? Oh, that's right, 'cause she'd mainly used them to rough him up until now. He opened his mouth with nothing in mind to say, but it was all lost in her pleading. He let her pull him closer and use him as a support.

"Okay. It'll be okay," he said to both her and himself, "Let's get you to Houjun-san."

Allowing her to lean all of her weight on him, he rose with her to stand.

Luckily, it didn't take long to spot the monk's cornflower blue waterfall spray of bangs, and he walked her slowly towards him, careful to keep her from stumbling. He glanced back at the palace, where, with the help of the rain, the fire was finally coming under control. Though Houjun seemed fairly busy with that pressing problem, Keisuke stood before him, holding the sinking girl up.

"Houjun-san, Kaen-san isn't feeling well, is there anything we can do?"

Being that close to someone else made it very difficult to think. Kaen sagged against him, just the feeling of a body next to hers staving off the worst of the sickness for now, at least. She worked her fingers into his shirt to hold on, then beneath the rain-soaked fabric. That seemed like a better idea. Her body still shook, but it didn't seem so bad now.

It took her a few seconds to really see the monk as they approached him, but then just the sight of him shocked her into coherence. What was she doing? She was leaning against the foreign boy like... like... she didn't want to finish that thought. She quickly pulled her hands away and hugged her arms around herself, shivering again. Nausea surged through her, and her head pounded. She was tempted for a moment to shove the foreigner away, but she wasn't sure if she'd be able to stand on her own. The thought filled her with shame.

It had to be a curse. If anyone could help her, then, the monk could.

"Houjun," she said, her voice thick. "There's something wrong with me. Something very wrong..." A few hot tears spilled down her cheeks.

The rain intensified.

The rain was doing the best it could to soak the rest of the wood. Even if it wouldn't stop the fire now at least it would prevent it from spreading.

It took some doing, but Tetsuya finally managed to locate Keisuke. Apparently his friend was somehow entangled with someone else at the moment. He blew out a relieved breath and began making his way over to them. They were headed away from him, but their pace was rather slow, and he was able to catch up just as they reached their apparent destination: the monk who'd fished him out of the lake earlier this afternoon.

"Hey," he said as he drew near, nodding a greeting to the monk before looking at Keisuke. "Is everyone..." He caught a glimpse of the woman's expression and quickly amended his original question. "...in one piece?"

Because it was rather obvious just by looking at the woman that everything was, in fact, NOT all right.

Houjun hurried toward the pair and nodded a greeting as Tetsuya joined them. "Arigato, Yuuki-san, for bringing her, no da." After a quick glance at Kaen Houjun dropped his shakajou and reached out to help the shaken woman. "Kaen-san, you need to sit down, no da." He reached up and removed his mask, hoping that with it gone she might heed his advice. He considered the two foreigners only for a moment before deciding that Kaen's state of mind had to come first. He would answer questions about his face later, should they have any. Blinking his eye against the rain he reached out his other hand toward her.

_This is all connected to her somehow. I need to find out why, no da. First though, I need her to sit so I can help calm her..._

Kaen was reaching out to take Houjun's hand when another wave of sickness hit her. She dropped abruptly to her knees, clutching her arms against her stomach as she fought the urge to vomit again. The feverish feeling intensified, and she began to shiver violently.

For a moment, she could only shake her head, unable to speak at all.

"I feel very sick," she finally managed. "Very sick."

Keisuke couldn't keep himself from staring at Houjun. Who knew that underneath that eternal smile there lived a permanent scar. He snapped back to 'reality' when Kaen collapsed. He stood behind her, watching her tremble in the rain. He wished he still had his jacket to offer her, or anything at all he could do. He felt compelled to sit beside her, to hold her and offer her whatever warmth he could, but this would more likely put him in the way than help.

Instead, he stood quietly in his soaking wet red pajamas, and turned a concerned look to Tetsuya.

A mask. The monk had been wearing a mask all along. Who'd have thought? Tetsuya couldn't blame him, though he wondered if the mask was purely for aesthetic reasons. The man was a monk, after all, and monks weren't supposed to care much about the material world and what others thought of them.

Tetsuya mentally shrugged. It was neither the time nor place to ask about the mask, and besides, it really wasn't that important of a matter right now. On top of that, it would be just downright rude. Instead, Tetsuya watched, silent but concerned, as the monk tended to the woman.

"What happened?" he asked Keisuke off the other's look.

Keisuke shook his head at Tetsuya.

Truth was, he had no idea what was wrong with Kaen. What had happened in her room, moments before the explosion occurred? Was she poisoned? Did she catch a disease? Or was she just so stressed she'd made herself sick?

Raindrops ran down his frown. He turned his eyes to Houjun expectantly.

Houjun looked up at Keisuke and Tetsuya and gave a small smile. They had kept their reactions to his face rather calm. He appreciated that and wondered if where they came from people with such scars might be more common place. If so, he hoped it was for different reasons than his.

"Yuuki-san, when this is over would you mind telling me everything that you saw, no da? You too, Kawajiri-san." He then turned back to Kaen and knelt next to her on the wet ground.

"Kaen-san," he said quietly. "I'm going to need you to take my hands, no da." He stretched them out, palms up toward her. "I promise you, I will do everything in my power to help you, no da."

Kaen nodded. As many people as she'd come in contact with this evening, unwillingly or no, Houjun was probably the least offensive of the bunch. And she was just desperate for the sickness and feverish feeling to go away. She would have done almost anything. It took her two tries to reach even close to his hands. She couldn't seem to focus very well. She fought to concentrate and touched his hands on the third try.

Houjun gently held her hands and watched her for a brief moment to make sure she would remain steady before closing his eye. He blocked out the shouts that still echoed through the air, the rain that still fell steadily, the sounds of the two men marking nervous movements nearby. All of these he put aside and instead concentrated on the woman in front of him.

Using her hands as a connection he felt his into the tangle of emotions that surrounded her inner self. Carefully he moved though them, tasting the fear, pain, confusion, anger and others that swirled around him but no matter how gently he tried to reach through to her the emotions pushed him back. Then he felt a connection nearby. She was indeed linked to this storm. Unconsciously she was influencing it somehow. _She doesn't know, _he thought then moved that thought to the side as well. Later he would talk with her about that.

_I have to calm her first, no da. Otherwise she'll never let me in to help with what is truly upsetting her._

Using every soothing technique he knew he began to try, calling to her through the thickness of the emotions. He needed her help to bring her back out.

_Kaen-san...can you hear me?_

Kaen's eyes narrowed. "Of course I can," she mumbled. "I'm not deaf." She closed her eyes against another wave of dizziness.

_Houjun, you have to help me. This must be some kind of curse!_

***

Ou felt exhausted. The children in the palace had been running about, scared because of the noise, smoke, and fire, and after listening to it for a while, Ou started to order them and get them in an orderly fashion. Perhaps mostly to quiet them down and get them moving in the right direction, but he was the son of provincial officials, and he had seen this done many times before. Right now, he was keeping an eye on the children while the nobles, courtesans, and other staff found and retrieved them. When they were all finished, he would have to try again to impress on His Majesty the importance of the prophecy.

Now that the raging fire was under control, Saihitei ran through the palace, looking for the foreigners, the Amazon, and the Monk. He could hear the whispers, suggesting this was a punishment for the appearance of the strange people.

It was a sign, forecasting the appearance of the Miko, and some people were beginning to wonder if she might not be a bad omen. While trying to catch a glimpse of his beautiful face, certain it would be smeared with soot and ash, the Emperor bumped into the boy who had just arrived.

Ou had finally managed to put the last of the babes back in their mothers' arms when he turned around and found himself face-to-navel with the Emperor.

"Your Majesty!" Ou dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming!"

"My apologies little one. It seems everything is under control now. I know you had intended to talk to me further. Perhaps I can find the time to do so with you now? The guards have things under control."

"O-o-o-of course, your Majesty." Ou was still very frightened that he was face-to-face with the Emperor. "It's about t-the prophecy. The astronomical tower in our prefect noticed an odd conjunction of planets a few weeks ago. We've been tracking it, and just recently, the planets came into alignment in a pattern that is recorded only twice in history. Both times, a girl descended from the heavens and saved the kingdom by summoning the god of the country. B-b-but the prophecy states that the kingdom must be on the edge of ruin for the priestess to appear. If that's true, say the masters, then we should be getting ready for war with Qu-Dong." In pronouncing the name of the country, Ou unmistakably identified the region of the country he came from. "I... I just don't _want_ it to be true, your Majesty. But then came the foreigners, and the storm, and the Amazon, and..." Ou's visibly checked himself to prevent a long, panicked rambling, and realized that he hadn't let the Emperor get a word in at all. He pressed his forehead to the ground and apologized profusely for being so rude.

Biting his lip, Saihitei was hearing what he both feared and longed for. The priestess had come but was missing and the country was on the verge of ruin... What could be done? He took the boy by the hand, gently, and helped him to his feet.

"First, there is no need for you to bow in my presence. I shall prepare Us for war with Qu-Dong. We need to actually find the Priestess before any action is taken. You have been a great help to me, Ou. You've done well. Now is the time for the Seishi to appear and protect this girl from a distant land... If only we knew where to look. I must send Houjun with the foreign boys. They will be able to confirm if the girl is the missing sister, even if she's in common clothing."

He looked about in the smoke trying to find them. "I... don't suppose you saw which direction they went?"

Ou had noticed when Houjun had sprinted off in a direction somewhere. There was no way of telling if he was still along that line, but it was better than nothing. He pointed and began to walk in the direction that he had seen Houjun go.

"Forgive my boldness, your Majesty... but how will we find them? The constellation marks could be anywhere, on anyone, and they supposedly only come out when the priestess needs to be protected. And, if they're ill omens, wouldn't the Seishi try to hide those marks for fear of drawing suspicion?"

"Everything in time, little one. First, we need the Priestess. The Seishi will naturally follow. There will be an energy around her... an aura that the Seishi can't resist."

Saihitei's eyes scanned the crowd, trying to find the blue haired monk, but he wasn't having any luck. He needed to make sure the visitors were all okay. As he weaved and bobbed through the people, he decided he should learn more about this child-visitor. He could one day become an imperial scholar!

"You're very smart, Ou. You must be very brave also, to be sent on this mission to the palace. Why were you chosen?"

Ou blushed. "I don't know. It just felt like I had to go and tell you as soon as we knew what it was. Not many people approved, but since I was eager, they let me go. I think they expected me to get killed here, or something. Not to mention that the imperial exams are coming up soon, and so I'm going to have to study even harder when I get back..."

Ou spotted a flash of blue hair in the crowd. "This way, your Majesty."

***

Looking back quickly to make sure there were no guards attempting to restrain him, Sou caught a glimpse of the oddest thing he'd seen all day. The crazy Amazon woman was soaked and clinging to the one she had been trying to protect. If a tiger would have jumped from the bushes at that moment, he didn't think he would have been more shocked.

"Whatever." He tried to whisper to himself and turn, but there was something lingering in his mind about the strangers that so suddenly came into his life today. Sou stayed and watched as the odd-looking couple stood shakily and made their way over towards a strange looking blue-haired person holding a staff. His eyes narrowed as he tried to read lips and he realized he had chanced a bit more time than he could rationally explain.

His family needed him. If they caught him here it would be jail time again for a crime he didn't commit. Feeling an uncomfortable guilt, Sou turned toward the gates again and walked away.

***

Kourin was doing a good job of dodging the crowds that had formed to watch as the fires licked the rooftops of the inner buildings. She was looking for help - a doctor, or anyone else useful, for that matter. One of the girls within the palace concubine's quarters was injured as a result of the panic in the palace, and no one could tend to her. She'd sprained an ankle and it would mean death for any man, besides a doctor, to look on the bare leg of a woman belonging to the Emperor.

"I'll go find help!" She had snapped after the other girls had bickered and bitched about what to do. "The fires should be put out any moment and her ankle can wait. But I'll go out and look for a healer who can provide her some relief for the pain."

She had headed for a hidden exit that she'd used to explore Eiyou at her leisure, but stopped short when she heard a commotion in an alleyway it connected to. Slowing down and picking up her skirt a little to avoid dirtying it, she inched closer to get a peek.

"You owe me money, Myō Ju-an." A smaller man gestured violently at a rather tall, muscular guy, who was leaning against a couple of boxes. "You know what the price is when you lose a bet and can't pay." The smaller man gestured the sign of slitting his throat, snickering as a knife was unsheathed. "You may be a doctor, but you won't be able to save yourself after I get through with you."

"Crap!" Cursed Kourin, frowning. "If that guy's a doctor, he'll be able to help that foolish girl."

"Hey, I c'n pay. Jus' not righ' now." The doctor stumbled against the boxes, knocking them over with a loud crash. If it weren't for the fire, a crowd would likely have gathered to see the inevitable fight.

_Great. I find a doctor and he's nothing but a drunk._ Kourin chewed her thumbnail, trying to figure out what she should do. Letting a drunk into the palace was a bad idea. Worse still was letting a concubine remain injured when there was someone who might be able to help. She snuck out the passage to the alley and came out behind the group of four men advancing upon the one they'd called Ju-an.

"Excuse me…"

The men turned to look at her. "Back off, sweetheart. This ain't your quarrel."

The doctor was half passed out on the boxes. Pathetic. But she needed his help.

"Actually, the doctor is late for an appointment. He is required at the palace immediately. If you don't let him come with me, I'm afraid the Emperor will not be pleased. He will be paid for his work and can then pay you."

The small, noisy man sniffed. "He's had many chances to pay us back after jobs he claimed to have. Instead, he drank the money away."

Kourin looked at the doctor for reassurance that the man was lying, but Ju-an merely shrugged his agreement.

"Can't win 'em all."

_Oh for Suzaku's sake…_

"This is a legitimate job. You can see the palace on fire. Surely you wouldn't prevent me from…"

"From what? Helping a drunken waste of a human being get away without paying his debts? How do I know you aren't in league with him?" The men began to advance on Kourin now. "You go get us the money he'll be paid and we'll let you take him."

With their attention turned away from him, Ju-an reached down and grabbed the empty sake bottle lying beside his foot. Moving faster than a drunk should, he grabbed the man who'd been threatening him before and smashed him over the head. The body crumpled in his grasp and he let it fall to the ground.

It had seemed like a good idea, but now the other three didn't seem so happy.

Kourin gasped. Now they were going to think she was an accomplice for sure!

"HEY YOU!" The whistle of an Imperial Guard's alarm brought her back to her senses.

Turning away from the approaching guards, Kourin did what anyone in a mad panic would do....

"Run for it Ju-an!" She yelled, grabbing the taller man by the arm and dragging him away into the night.

_Suzaku-sama, if we make it out of this one, I'll personally give you my thanks one day._

"Okay, now where in the hell is y'all takin' me?" Ju-an panted. He glanced behind him at the guards and bookies running after them.

_If I wasn't so drunk I'd really be worried about what's goin' on._

Kourin was furious, but getting away was more important right now. She dragged Ju-an through the many Hutongs, desperate to get away from the trouble without being recognized as one of the Emperor's concubines. If that little secret were known, she'd have to leave the palace at once!

They had reached the stables at the entrance to town before she finally stopped running. Kourin breathed a sigh of relief when she realized they hadn't been followed for some time and dropped Ju-an on the ground. She turned to look at the tall man who lay in a heap on the ground, unmoving. "A useless doctor after all that trouble."

Dusting her own dress off, she sighed, shaking her head. "At least the guards gave up. It's not everyday you see a woman dragging a man around, is it? My name is Kourin." Bowing slightly, she grinned. "You must be Ju-an, right? That other man looked like he was gonna kill you. Are you in debt or something? I've never known that a doctor to be short on cash."

Ju-an shook out his head, trying his best to sober up and answer the nice lady's questions. "I'm not really short on money, I just have a little trouble paying my tab and my gambling debts in the same night." He pulled out a small flask of sake and chugged some back. He paused, realizing how rude he was being.

"Care for a swig?" He gesturing the bottle towards the girl. He was only fairly drunk and wholeheartedly intended to get even drunker before the night was through.

"Damn." Kourin cursed softly, biting her tongue. "With a second rate doctor like this I won't be able to help Rika after all," she muttered to herself.

"I can't get back in the secret way, and if I head back to the palace through the front door, we'd surely get caught by the guards and my reputation would be ruined! His Highness will never marry me at this rate!" Grabbing her head in frustration, she winced.

Breathing a heavy sigh, Kourin snatched the flask away and tucked it into her dress. The alcohol was the problem in the first place and she wasn't going to let this man destroy himself. But why did she care about a complete stranger so much? This weird day just kept getting weirder.

A sharp pain shot through her chest, sensing danger. She looked around quickly, trying to gauge where the danger was coming from. No sign of the guards and the men hassling Ju-an weren't around. What was it then? The pain was… red, as if that made any sense. She looked into the distance and her eyes focused in on the mountain.

_Mount Reikaku… Why do I feel like that's where I need to be? If this is fate, I refuse!_

She turned her back on the horizon, but the pull was still there. Urging her to 'do the right thing' and give in. Kourin finally threw up her hands in frustration. Heading towards a mountain that was famous for bandits might not seem like the smartest idea, but she wasn't really that worried. She was Nuriko under the dress and fancy hair combs; strength was her gift and no matter how many bandits came at them, they couldn't be a match for her strength.

"I can't explain it, but I have to go to Mount Reikaku. Did you want to join me or shall I leave you here?"

Ju-an's thoughts were fuzzy and he drifted in and out of understanding what this woman was talking about. He was too weak to fight back when she took his alcohol away and something deep down told him she wasn't the sort that would give in to threats of violence.

"All right lets do that. I ain't got nowheres to be," he slurred. "How we gonna get there?"

"I have an idea." Grinning, she grabbed Ju-an by the ear, pulling him to over to the edge of the building before he could protest. Staring at the stable yard in the pale light of several torches that had not been extinguished by the raging storm from earlier, she could make out only a single horse. "Let's run in there, take the horse, and make for the East?"

Before Ju-an could protest, Kourin in her rain soaked dress picked up her skirt and made for the horse, scaling the fence somewhat haphazardly, but with grace nonetheless.

Ju-an took off after her in hot pursuit. Despite his stumbling and zigzagging, he soon caught up. He was surprisingly agile for being drunk.

He helped Kourin up onto the horse, then jumped up behind her and held on as she took the reigns. Two sharp kicks from her heels and the horse let out a whinny before breaking into a run. She aimed the horse for the side of the fence that blocked them from the gate to Eiyou.

They both held on tight as the horse sprinted towards the fence, making it over in a single, glorious leap.

Ju-an smirked, slowly coming out of his drunken haze. The woman was a spitfire, to be sure. She might even be able to get them out of here and keep him on the straight and narrow. It still pulled at his drunken mind that she was a complete stranger.

"Who are you? Why didja help me?"

"Me? I'm Kourin. I don't know why but I had the feeling I needed to help you." The sun was starting to appear over the mountain line in the distance before them.

Closer to Kutou was not where she wanted to be when all these strange events had been happening. She knew she was Nuriko, a Suzaku Seishi, and that's why she had her super-human strength. If a girl had appeared then surely the legend was coming true and the enemy country would not be happy to find a Suzaku Seishi anywhere near their borders.

"So what's out East that's so great?"

She glanced back at the doctor over her shoulder. "A girl, possibly."

Ju-an broke out into a heavy laugh. "I thought you belonged to the Emperor? Don't tell me you're really…"

"Really?"

"One of those women who likes women."

She laughed and shook her head. "No, completely the opposite."

Feeling Ju-an shift slightly in the saddle, she smiled. "You're gonna have a headache by the time we even hit the forested areas. Try to take a nap... if you can..."

"I never get hangovers, and have you ever slept on a horse? If you have then you'll know it ain't easy."

An hour passed before Kourin decided to break the uncomfortable silence by chattering away, explaining her status in the palace, the foreign guys who had appeared from another world and how they were looking a girl. She also explained that she was supposed to go with these men to start a search in the city - and how a fire struck the palace before she'd met him.

Ju-an listened to her patiently, wishing for another drink. He wouldn't be much good to the Suzaku no Miko if she showed up now. Not in his current state.


	10. Chapter 9

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Imperial Palace, Kutou; morning

Sunlight poured in through the window as Yui slept. She was still dreaming when the golden rays made their way to her closed eyes. She responded to the intruding light and opened her sleepy eyes.

"Sunlight," she whispered. Her eyes briefly closed, but snapped open as Yui sat up in the bed. "I'm late for school!" She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked again at her surroundings. "Oh, it wasn't a dream after all. I am really in another world and in a palace no less." She made the bed and changed back into her school uniform.

Yui jumped when she heard a knock on the door, but calmed down when the servant girl from the previous night came to see how she was doing.

"Do you know where the two boys are?" Yui hadn't gotten a chance to talk to them last night. She only hoped she would be able to chat with them before having to talk to the Shogun again. She was a little nervous accepting his help and didn't understand why he would be so generous to a strange girl like her. Moreover, she wanted to know why people thought she was a 'Hin'.

"Another servant is fetching them to have breakfast in one of the dining halls," the servant girl responded. "Follow me and I'll take you to them." Yui nodded and followed the girl out of the room.

They were walking down the same hallway where she met the Shogun, but then the girl took a left, the opposite direction of the Shogun's room. Yui kept silent, but took notice of the new direction. This new section was a bit more colorful than the other wings of the palace she had been in. Finally the servant stopped in front of another set of doors and Yui noticed a dragon carved into the wooden panels.

There was food on the table, but she was the only one present. Alone in the spacious new dining room, she rubbed her shoulders. She could have sworn there was a chill in the air, but dismissed the though, assuming it was just nerves about being in a foreign place not knowing the proper manners. She hoped the boys showed up soon for she was becoming scared, but couldn't understand the reasoning for the misplaced emotion.

As Yui waited for the twins to make their appearance, another servant was knocking on the door to the room housing the twins…

A knock on the door woke Koutoku. His eyes fluttered for a moment, then suddenly he came wide awake, remembering where he was. He stood up stiffly -- falling asleep in that chair was not the smartest thing he had ever done -- and the first thing he noticed was his brother lying on the floor at his feet. He practically tripped over him. What was Shun-chan doing on the floor? Momentary panic seized him. "Shun-chan?" he breathed, kneeling down beside his brother and shaking him lightly by the shoulders. Did something happen during the night? Had Shun's condition worsened? He couldn't feel anything along their bond because his twin was asleep....or unconscious. What if Shun was hurt worse than the doctor thought last night? Doctors weren't infallible. What if Shun didn't wake? Oh Gods....

"Heeey, whaddaya doin'? Stoppit, lemme go...." Shunkaku became slightly more coherent as he woke up to his brother shaking him. "Aniki, stop it, I'm awake." He blinked up at a pair of big, worried eyes. "What's wrong?"

Koutoku breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Shun-chan started flailing back at him, and sat back at his twin woke up. Shunkaku was fine. "Nothing," he answered. "You were just, well.... You're on the floor," he pointed out the obvious, and sat waiting for an explanation.

That's what aniki was so upset about? As if they didn't both sleep on floors -- or bare ground -- more often than not. "The bed was too soft. It made my back hurt." Shunkaku eyed his brother for another moment. "Aniki, are you okay? You've been....jumpy....ever since we got here." Shunkaku didn't like seeing nervousness in his brother. Aniki was usually so calm and collected, so in charge of every situation, or at least prepared to deal with them as they came along. But for whatever reason, aniki was afraid of this place. "Aniki, we're not in danger here. If the Shogun was going to throw us in prison, he would have done it last night instead of letting us stay here. I mean, look, we're guests here. Aniki, we're guests in the _Palace_. What could be better than this?"

Koutoku looked away as he stood up -- again, stiffly; his neck and shoulders would be long in forgiving him that chair. Shun-chan didn't get it. Of course not; Shun rarely saw beneath the surface unless it was pointed out to him. "Shun-chan, people like us" -- filthy, penniless street urchins, he meant -- "don't just become 'guests in the Palace' for no reason. There's something here we haven't seen yet."

Shunkaku rose to his feet as well, trying to ignore the stiffness of aniki's muscles. No, sleeping in that chair hadn't been good for either of them. But at least his head didn't hurt anymore. "It's not for no reason," he argued back with his twin. "We're here to help Yui-san find her friends."

Koutoku studied his brother for a moment before looking away again. Of course, Yui. It seemed to always come back to her. The older twin couldn't help blaming her for all this, even though he knew it wasn't her fault. She was just as much a stranger here as they were. More so, probably. But still, he couldn't help it.

A second knock on the door broke the silence, and Koutoku escaped his brother's glare by going to answer it. It was too early to be arguing with Shun about this. Just let it sit awhile. If he waited another couple of hours, someone would probably come to "escort" them out of the Palace, anyway. Maybe this was that someone, now.

A serving girl came into the room as he opened the door, briskly setting some fresh clothes on the bed and asking if they slept well, if they were hungry, there was breakfast prepared in the east dining hall, she was worried when no one answered her knock on the other door, but then she heard voices and knew they were in here, not that she was eavesdropping, not at all, but if it would please them to change she would be waiting right outside to show them to the dining hall....

She finished talking not a hair's breadth before disappearing back out into the hallway. Both boys just stared dumbly at the closed door for a moment. Well, that had certainly been unexpected.

It was only a moment, though, and then Shunkaku was rifling through the pile of clothes the girl had laid on the bed. He had never worn anything so fine in his life. Silk so soft and smooth, colors so vibrant. Not even comparable to the threadbare shirt and breeches that very soon lay in a discarded heap on the floor. He chose the orange one, the brightest color he could find. Now _this_ was luxury.

He tossed a pale lavender shirt at his brother. "C'mon, aniki, she said there was breakfast."

At the urgency in his brother's voice, Koutoku almost laughed despite himself. He wasn't hungry, and he knew Shun wasn't, either -- they had both eaten more last night than they usually saw in days -- but it was the principle of the thing. If there was free food in the offering, Shun couldn't just sit and let the opportunity pass by. And neither could he, Koutoku realized. The survival instinct was too strongly ingrained in them both.

And if nothing else came of this, well, they _did_ both need new clothes.

A moment later the boys were following the serving girl as she led them through a veritable maze of corridors, chattering away at the same breakneck speed she had begun. "Everyone has been talking -- well, gossiping really, about the news of strangers in the Palace -- you came with a foreign girl, right? -- and no, I didn't mean gossiping about _you_ -- but Cai Fang was saying you were friends of the Shogun -- I didn't think that man _had_ friends -- oh, please don't tell him I said that -- Those colors really do look wonderful on you two, I knew I chose the right ones to bring -- oh, just wait until the other girls find out I got to talk to you, Lei Huang will be so jealous...."

Koutoku wondered when she managed to breathe.

Finally she led them into a large room with food spread out on tables, and left them with the promise that if they needed anything else she wouldn't be far away.

Shunkaku saw Yui and sat down next to her. "Mornin' Yui-san," he said brightly.

Yui had sat down, trying to calm her unsettled nerves, but her worried expression finally changed the minute the brothers stepped into the room.

"Good Morning Shunkaku," she responded. She turned to Koutoku and smiled at him. "Did you both sleep well? How are you feeling this morning?" She directed the last question to the boy sitting on her right.

Shunkaku positively beamed when Yui smiled at them. It might have just been the mood this place, or the last lingering effects of his concussion, but right at that moment he decided she was beautiful. Not the same way that all the other people in the Palace Shun had seen were beautiful -- all decorated and regal-looking, smooth and flowing and rich -- but in a way that was entirely her own. Yui was....different. Something about her he couldn't quite put his finger on attracted him to her very strongly.

Of course, he was fifteen and she was a pretty girl who smiled at him. One didn't have to be a genius to do the math.

Koutoku felt that attraction, too, but unlike his brother who welcomed it, the older twin kept trying to edge away. It made him uneasy, the things he felt for this stranger. He didn't like things he didn't understand, things he couldn't predict. Things that might ultimately lead his brother and him into danger. He didn't sit down at the table, but remained standing beside Shun's chair. Yui repelled him just as much as she drew him in.

"Never been better," Shunkaku answered Yui's questions brightly. "Are you kidding? Takes more than a bump on the head to bring me down. How 'bout you?" he went on before aniki could point out that no, it didn't. "Not bad for your first night in Kutou, ne?"

She had slept peacefully last night, but that made her feel guilty. Did Miaka, Keisuke, and Tetsuya also sleep in warm beds last night? Sadness crossed her face and her mind traveled down a path of worried thoughts.

"Yes the bed was very comfortable," she replied. They sat in silence for a time as she ate the wonderful food on the table.

"Koutoku I wanted to know about what the woman called me the other day. I took it from the reactions of the onlookers and soldiers that it was something bad. Could you clarify to me why someone would call a stranger such a name?" She asked him, hoping it would keep her mind from turning back to sad thoughts of not being with her friends. Also, he kept to himself and she wanted to find away to get him to be more comfortable around her like Shunkaku already was.

Koutoku leaned against the table, but still did not sit down, standing on the other side of his brother from Yui. He wasn't consciously trying to keep her at a distance.... well, maybe he was, a little. It was difficult to look her in the eye. And the questions she asked didn't help matters any. _What the woman called her yesterday...._ Koutoku had heard Yui called many things yesterday, some of which he even remembered through the overpowering concern for his brother. 'Hin' he remembered particularly, because he'd had the same thought at first. That must be what she meant.

"What, you mean 'Hin?'" Shunkaku said before his brother could respond. Why was Yui talking to aniki and not to him? Shun didn't like feeling ignored. "Don't worry about them, Yui-san. They don't know anything."

Of course, that didn't actually answer her question. "It's because of your hair, and your eyes," Koutoku said after a moment. "The Hins were a nomadic people that used to live in Kutou. But they're all....gone now, or near enough. They had blonde hair and blue eyes." The twins' own coloring was odd enough that they might be mistaken for Hins at a distance -- sandy hair and indigo eyes just a bit too dark, skin that would have been pale if they didn't spend the majority of every day outside in the sun. "The Shogun is a Hin," he added quietly. "Probably the last." He didn't mention that was probably because the man had, himself, hunted down and killed what remained of his own people.

Yui smiled, happy to have someone her own age to talk with. But the boys had a life in this world. They couldn't be planning on staying in the palace forever. "I also wanted to know if you both will be staying or moving on? For if you are leaving I want to thank you all so much for your help and for any trouble I've caused the both of you."

At her next question, the boys looked at each other for a moment. Shunkaku's eyes were bright and eager, and even a bit challenging; Koutoku's were guarded. Only for a moment, before the older twin looked away with a resigned sigh and Shun turned his grin back towards Yui. "Of course we're staying," he told her. "Are you kidding? Look at all this." He gestured to the food spread out on the table, to the fine clothes he and aniki were wearing. "We're staying until they kick us out. How else are we supposed to help you find your friends?"

Shunkaku had a point about the Shogun letting the boys stay to help her. Having someone around her age made things easier than being alone.

"We better eat before the food gets cold, huh?" She added humor, but the mention of food made her think of Miaka. She smiled sadly, imagining how Miaka would have eaten everyone's portion of the meal and would be going onto her third plate while everyone tried to eat their first.

"I'm worried about Miaka and the boys. Do you think they are looking for me as well?" There was a hopeful look in her eyes.

"I am certain they are my lady," Nakago said sweetly as he stepped into the room. "I have sent search parties after her; I hope they find her soon. Seiryuu knows our lands are not as safe as they should be." He added sadly. The Shogun gracefully dropped into a chair and draped his powerful arm over its back. "I trust you slept well last night? Please tell me if there is anything else you need." His smile was easy and, for all they knew, sincere, giving no hint of the blade-sharp mind camouflaged by a handsome face and smooth manner.

Behind his suave façade, his mind never stopped analyzing, sorting and planning. He was analyzing them again, more carefully and firmly. The human mind had long been an open book for him, and he its faithful student. And he liked what he read in these books. His smile broadened, truly sincere this time.

Perhaps this turn of events really would benefit him.

She had not meant for the Shogun to hear her question, but his answer gave her hope. Making her more confident that her friends were looking for her as well.

Koutoku's back went rigid at the sound of the Shogun's voice. He hadn't even heard the man approach. Immediately on edge, he put a hand on his brother's shoulder in a protective instinct. He didn't know what it was about the Shogun that made him so uneasy. Everything about the man was kind and sincere. But it warred with his common sense. And that strange feeling....it was getting stronger. With both Yui and the Shogun in the room.... Koutoku's eyes drifted longingly towards the door.

"Of course they're looking for you, Yui-san," Shunkaku echoed Nakago's encouragement a moment later. "Wouldn't be very good friends if they weren't.... Aniki?" he broke off, sensing his twin's unease and looking up over his shoulder at him. Then he glared, brushed aniki's hand away from his shoulder, and all but shoved his brother into a chair. "For the Gods' sake, aniki, sit down and eat something." Shunkaku didn't see what was so hard about this. They were helping Yui, just like the Shogun, and that's all there was to it. Why did aniki have to make things so difficult?

Koutoku stumbled a step and fell into the chair his brother pushed him towards. Shun didn't see -- couldn't see -- what was really bothering him. Hell, if he couldn't even explain it, himself, how could he expect Shun-chan to understand? For the thousandth time, Koutoku wondered if he was just being paranoid and stupid. But that strange feeling didn't go away.

"Is there something I could do to aide the search for my friends? I want to help, not just sit here waiting, sick with worry, while you and your men do all the work."

She hoped this direct approach would give her something to do besides sit on the sidelines.

Nakago gave no sign of noticing the unease the older twin was displaying, but he made a mental note of it. "You are more than welcome to stay here, but if you wish to help, there is something you can do." He smiled kindly. "It is likely that the bandits will have left by now, it is not safe for them here. There is a city on the border of Konan and Kutou, one with a large bandit population. I can send you with a guard if you wish to search for her there."

"Oh yes! Please!" Yui jumped up in excitement.

"Very well. I will make arrangements and meet with you in the gardens later."

He watched the twins out of the corner of his eye, noticing how comfortable the younger seemed. The older one would have to be treated carefully; he obviously didn't trust anything here. Not that Nakago blamed him, he was far wiser than the younger one. And they had the taint of Seiryuu on them. It would be good to keep them happy. His day was getting better. Now if only Ashitare could actually pull through.

A border town, Kutou; morning

Genrou awoke early; the pink light of dawn was just making its appearance as the sun rose slowly in the east. With a long jaw-cracking yawn, he stretched and looked over at the tiny girl sleeping peacefully beside him on the bed.

She had been through a lot in the short hours he had been with her; finding herself amidst the reproving glares and lecherous grins of the people of Kutou, being hauled around by a foul-mouthed bandit, sneaking out in the dead of night to be attacked by ruffians, then having to care for said foul-mouthed bandit when he got too cocky and was injured in the fairly short fight with afore mentioned ruffians.

He grinned over a few of the memories he had made with the small girl on the bed.

_Who'd a thunk a slip of a girl could get a hard nosed bandit like me t'protect 'er? There's just something about her..._

He rolled closer to her, smoothing a stray lock of hair over her ear. "I'll be right back, Chibi Onna; I have to go get my herbs and find some cash. Stay here." He whispered softly as he moved to the door and slipped out, not making even the slightest sound.

His first destination was to return to the alleyway to retrieve his coat, if no one had walked off with it. Luckily no one had bothered the long suffering coat.

He then returned to the old woman's cottage, smoothly talking her into forgiving him his rude temperament the previous day and paying a high price for the herbs he needed for his boss.

_Just one last thing to attend to..._

He walked the waking market place in search of a rich looking target. His quest was cut short when an extremely grumpy woman pushed past him, grumbling under her breath about having to replace a gown that a set of thieves had snatched and walked away with.

His sense of irony piqued and he followed the woman, overtly eyeing her money pouch from a position a few feet away.

_Just my luck! She's loaded! Heh heheh, Mi-chan'll be happy t'know we ain't gotta worry 'bout money no more._

He followed her to a now familiar alleyway and thumped her on the back of her skull; effectively knocking her out. He caught her slumping figure, settled her gently against the poles that held her laundry line up and cut her purse from its place at her hip.

Tucking the money pouch in to his coat, he lifted the woman in to his arms and went to find one of the guards who were roaming the streets.

"Oi, Guard-san! I found this woman knocked out in an alley not too far from here."

The guard looked suspiciously at him for a moment but shook his head, finally deciding that a thief wouldn't bother bringing attention to himself by bringing a woman to the royal guard.

"Thanks, I'll get her to her home and make sure she is alright. Give me your name so I can tell her who brought her to me incase she wants to reward you."

Genrou smiled at the guard, "Nah, I'm on my way out of the city today. Tell 'er I don't want no reward, I was just doin' m'daily good deed."

Suppressing a laugh at the hilarity of the situation, Genrou made his way back to the inn, ordered breakfast to be delivered to his room and made his way upstairs.

He was grateful that Miaka hadn't woken up while he was gone, it would have been a bit hard for him to explain where exactly he had gone. He settled in to wait for breakfast to arrive and Miaka to wake, folding the blankets that had made his pallet bed and putting them away.

He was just opening the door to let the maid bring in the food when he heard a noise from the bed and glanced over to find Miaka waking up with a sleepy smile.

"Mornin' Chibi Onna, sleep good?"

Miaka blinked heavily and a smile crept on her lips as she smelled the food entering the room. "Uh-huh. How did you sleep? Feeling better I hope?" She asked him as she sat up and stretched her back.

Genrou shrugged, "I guess I slept arright, bein' how I was on sharin' a bed. Wounds ain't so bad. Thanks fer askin'."

"So where are we gonna start searching today?" She asked him simply.

He moved one tray from the table and brought it to her, settling it over her lap. "Eat while ya can, we're gonna take a quick look 'round th' city an' then we're gonna drop by Mt Reikaku an give my boss th' herbs he needs."

Sitting down at the table he wolfed down the simple meal of honeyed rice cakes and oat gruel, famished after having missed dinner the previous night. "A'fore we go lookin' fer yer friend I gotta stop an' buy a new shirt, my old one's got blood an' holes in it."

He shrugged into his coat to hide the bandages around his naked chest.

Miaka happily took the food he offered and she immediately went to work consuming it. She felt a bit of a glutton but was relieved when she looked up to see Genrou had eaten all of his already.

"Where, exactly, is Mt. Ray-caw-coo?" Miaka asked curiously.

Genrou looked at her strangely, his brow wrinkling at her literal pronunciation of his home. _Heh, guess I did th' same to a few a them strange words she was spoutin' yesterday._

"Nah, nah. Not 'Ray-caw-coo' ya baka, Rei-ka-ku. R-E-I-K-A-K-U. Ya get it?"

"Rei-ka-ku. Got it!" She stood up, trying to stay cheerful. She hadn't found Yui-chan or anyone else she knew for that matter. It wouldn't hurt to go along with Genrou.

He shook his head and buttoned his coat. He stuck a hand in to his pocket to reassure himself that his money pouch was there along with his newly 'acquired' pouch of coins. He stood from the low chair and held a hand out to her, "Let's go then, Chibi Onna."

He led her out of the inn and to a nearby garment merchant. "Oi Gramps, need a new shirt and a pretty gown fer th' lady."

The old man frowned at the form of address but pulled out a small assortment of men's shirts, ranging in color from black to magenta, and a catch of female garments that looked like they might fit the petite form of the girl at his side. "These ought to fit, sir. Just got a new shipment in from Konan; these are the best in my shop."

As Genrou sifted through the shirts he cast a glance at Miaka, she seemed to be staring off in to space. He bumped her shoulder, "Mi-chan, ya are supposed t' look through th'dresses an' decide which one ya want."

Miaka quickly looked down at the garments, blinking her eyes heavily a time or two. She examined the fabric and tilted her head. She pulled out a silky red one with a Phoenix on the back with a golden circle around it. "Does it matter which one I choose?" She asked him with a glance from the gown to him. Things like this must cost money and they didn't have much.

She flipped her long chestnut hair over her shoulder and smiled. "It looks too expensive." She watched his face for the inevitable look of disapproval.

Genrou smirked at her and shrugged, "Sure, get whichever one ya want. Think of it as a present fer patchin' me up last night."

He eyed the red garment and the phoenix sigil emblazoned on the back, _There's somethin' about that I feel like I should know, but I can't fer th' life a me figure it out..._

"On second thought Chibi Onna, get that one. It'll look real nice on ya." He fingered the expensive material almost absently.

Shaking out of his thoughts, Genrou snatched a black shirt from the mass of men's shirts. "Oi Gramps, how much do I owe ya fer these?"

The old man gave him a price and Genrou paid it without a word. The old man packed up the gown Miaka had chosen and handed the brown paper wrapped parcel to the girl. "Thanks! Come back anytime!" he called as the two made their way out of the market square.

Miaka was surprised that the once stingy bandit willingly bought her the chosen gown. "Thank you, Gen-chan!" She smiled and held the new gown tightly to her chest.

Genrou ducked in to an alleyway and donned his new shirt, pulling his coat back on but leaving the buttons undone due to the hot weather.

"So, where didja last see yer companions?"

"Yesterday, at the library. We were in the restricted section and..." Miaka explained what had happened. The book, the strange red light, and arriving here. She recalled the words she'd read aloud and her face turned to a harsh mixture of confusion and worry.

"It couldn't be true." She looked down at the spot on Genrou's arm where the weird mark had shown up as she rested her chin on the top edge of the brown paper package.

Genrou looked at her strange expression, wondering what the problem was. He frowned as her eyes narrowed in on his arm, almost on the exact spot his yoku was. Now he was starting to worry. She had never acted this strange before and it was beginning to get to him.

"Arright, spill it. What's got ya lookin' like yer about t'jump outta yer skin?"

Miaka shook her head. "It's nothing. Just trying to remember what the book had said." She didn't want to tell him the truth for fearing she'd sound crazy.

_It's just a story. There's no way that we went into that old book!_

Genrou nodded, content to let her skip over whatever was bothering her.

"So, where do we need t'start lookin'?" He steered her towards the alley he had picked her up at. "We might find somethin' yer friend left behind, so we might as well start there."

Miaka followed along as they headed through the city. She was unsure of where he was headed, but he seemed quite certain.

"I really don't know where to look unless..." She thought of Yui's habits and where they'd all been separated. "Is there a library somewhere near?" She asked curiously.

Genrou grinned and scratched his head, "Er, I ain't been here before yesterday."

He led her around the perimeter of the market place, keeping a sharp eye out for any strangely dressed girls. Finding no one who fit the image he had been given.

After wandering the market for a few hours, Genrou pulled Miaka into a small inn. "Let's get somethin' t'eat. After we'll go an' head t'Reikaku, I ain't seen yer friend nowhere. Think she might'a took off on 'er own?"

"Food sounds great! Is Mt. Reikaku very far from here?" She asked him curiously as she took a seat at a pub table. She looked up at him and smiled.

Genrou smirked at her, "Well, it took two weeks fer me t'walk here but I think we're gonna get a couple'a horses fer th'return trip. So it should only take 'bout four or five days if'n we ride hard."

"Are all of your friends there?" She grinned then looked down at the table, dragging her index nail back and forth across the wood so that it left a small mark. She carved her name into the table.

At her smile, he couldn't help returning it with a fanged grin of his own. "Are your friends there?" she asked, tilting her head to the side and unconsciously scratching the wood surface of the table.

"Well, they're more like m'family. Raised me since I ran away from home at fifteen." A small smile played around his lips as he let a few fun memories flit across his mind. "Kouji's m'aniki, been my best friend since th'Boss decided t'let me join up."

A tavern wench came and took their order with a smile and an appreciative glance at Genrou's unbuttoned coat. He didn't even notice the way her eyes roamed over him, he was too intent on talking with the girl across the table.

They chatted happily for a few minutes and the bar wench returned with their food, shooting a disgruntled glance at the young girl who was commanding the full attention of the flame haired bandit before stalking away in a huff.

The pair ate quickly; Miaka because she always ate fast and Genrou because he really wanted to get going.

After paying the check, Genrou led Miaka to a stable where horses were sold and rented. He paused at the gate and looked over his shoulder at his companion. "C'n ya sit onna horse or m'I gonna hafta ride with ya? I gotta know so's I know how many horses t'buy."

Miaka patted her stomach, feeling very full. "If all it takes is sitting on it, I can do _that_. But I don't know how to tell it to go or stop or anything." She looked at the horses and took a step back. Somehow, she got the feeling the horse already didn't like her.

Genrou smirked and looked up as the stable master walked over to them, "We'll just need th' one horse, m'wife don't know how t'ride all that well."

The stable master grinned a gap toothed grin at Miaka, "Tha's arright girly, lotsa wimmen dunno 'ow t'ride. Dun let yer 'usband make sport a ye fer it."

He walked around the corral and into the small barn and moments later returned with an egg speckled, grey palfrey. "This'uns a real calm girly, m'daughter rides 'er with m'gran'kids. She'll run ya good an' she's sweet tempered enough t'suit yer lady."

Genrou had leaned forward during the man's speech, attempting to discern if he was actually speaking Chinese or some garbled form of goat-man-talk. "Heh, er... sure we'll take 'er!" Plunking down the desired amount for the horse, Genrou mounted the horse and pulled Miaka up behind him.

"Hold on Chibi Onna, this might be a bit of a rough ride!" With that he nudged the mare into a stiff canter, kicking up dust under the powerful hooves of the horse as they rode out of town.

Miaka held onto Genrou tightly. She pressed her cheek to his back and watched as the surroundings passed quite rapidly. Her butt was already sore. "Four days like this, huh?" She moaned. Getting comfortable was harder than it seemed.

"Yeah, but it'll be arright. We'll make plenty a stops t'keep ya from gettin' too sore." He called over his shoulder to the girl clinging to his back.

They rode in silence, the only sounds breaking the monotony of the pounding of the horses hooves were the repeated growls Genrou emitted as his companion fidgeted and shifted around on the back of the horse in an attempt to get comfortable.

As evening crept up on them, Genrou reigned in the horse to stop for the night at a small pond not too far off the beaten path that lead from Kutou to Konan's capital city of Eiyou.

"We're gonna stop fer th' night. Sorry, but 'til we get t' th' foothills a th' mountain we're gonna hafta sleep outside." Helping Miaka down from the back of the horse and sliding off after her, Genrou led the horse to a small bush that was dotted with berries and had sweet grasses growing in thick clumps near its base. Ground tethering the horse, he then turned to Miaka and handed her a small pack and two bed rolls.

"You get th' beds set up an' some clothes unpacked an' I'll go find us some dinner." He paused a moment. "Do ya know anythin' 'bout buildin' a fire?"

Miaka took the bed rolls from Genrou and walked to the site, setting them down. "Fire I can manage." She announced with pride.

She watched him walk away as she unrolled the beds. She then began collecting sticks, piling them all a few yards from the beds. She surrounded them with a circle of stones and in not too long the fire was going. She sighed happily, satisfied with herself, and lay back onto one of the beds. She curled up in a ball and accidentally drifted off.

When Genrou returned to the campsite he found a cheerful little blaze burning in the center of a ring of large rocks and a sleeping Miaka, curled up on one of the bed rolls.

He moved over to the fire, settled down on his knees and quickly cleaned and skinned the large rabbit he'd caught. Spitting it on a thick stick he set it over the fire, turning it slowly to roast it evenly.

Once it was done he separated the meat evenly, not knowing how hungry Miaka might be.

"Oi Mi-chan, wake up. Foods ready!"

Miaka stirred in her sleep, but only enough to moan and fan a hand at him. She tried telling him to be quiet, but speaking into the bed her words came out muffled and incomprehensible. She sprawled out a bit more, but the wind passed over her again and set her to shivering.

"So cold!" She whined under her breath, though she wasn't really awake.

He chuckled at her sleepily trying to wave his calls away and her grumbled mumblings. _Heh heheheh, must'a drove 'er a lil' too hard t'day. I don't think I've seen 'er turn down food a'fore so she must be real worn out._

He wrapped up her portion of food and set it aside for morning, before digging into his own food with gusto.

As he was finishing up his meal he glanced over at her and noticed she was shivering. With a sigh he moved his bed roll right up next to hers, shrugged out of his coat and spread it over her shivering form.

He grinned as she curled up in the coat with a sigh of relief and lay down on his own 'bed' for the night, pulling a corner of the long black coat over his own chest and drifting off to sleep.

_G'night Chibi Onna..._

Imperial Palace of Kutou; mid-day

The palace was beautiful at midday, a far cry from the ragged tents Chuin had grown up in. And, no doubt, the audience would be far different as well. It was a dream come true, really, for his entire troupe. It was not only the money, but the chance to be seen by the greatest eyes in the land.

Sliding his neatly manicured hands over the feathers to smooth them, he took a deep breath and composed himself. Servants met them at the door, and concubines of the Emperor were already gathering at the door and eyeing him from behind their painted fans. His reputation preceded him.

They led him through the winding halls to spacious rooms for himself and his men, and Chuin took the largest one and began to unpack. From his massive collection of trunks he withdrew yards of fine fabrics that he draped about to swathe the room in color, and laid out his make up and costume stands near the dressing table. He set a variety of packets of teas and other such concoctions in the drawers and finally, his most prized possession, a little grey clamshell that he kept in a silk-lined box. This he withdrew and placed securely in his pocket.

After polishing his headdresses until they shone and taking an inventory of all his belongings, Chuin lit incense in a dragon-carved dish and lay back on the bed, thinking. Should they prove pleasing to the court, perhaps they could stay on permanently. It was certainly worth trying.

Nakago strode down the corridors towards the Emperor's chambers, steeling himself for contact with his most hated enemy. He had offered the girl a chance to search for her missing friend, and hoped she would be naive enough to take the bait. He needed her gone before Ashitare returned, or things might get a bit awkward, to say the least! He muttered a stream of quiet curses in his deep voice. People were stupid enough to fall for anything.

He noticed the extra servants scurrying around, and remembered that a troop of performers had arrived. His lip curled into an angry sneer. The people of Kutou were hanging onto life by their fingernails, starving and dirt-poor, and all their damned Emperor could think of was his own perverted amusement. Nakago hoped there were no young performers. He lengthened his pace and decided to get this irritation out of his way as soon as possible. He had more important things to think about.

Chuin heard the footsteps outside and felt...something. A pull, a strange sensation that he _knew_ the person outside, or needed to. He rose gracefully to his feet and stepped out into the hallway, meeting the blond man's eyes. Obviously one in control; he knew that simply from the way the man moved.

Chuin bowed a bit and smiled. "Good morning." Yes, this was the one that feeling was emanating from.

Nakago halted as the strange man stepped into the hallway. The pull he had been feeling suddenly became stronger. He took a good look at the man, or what he thought was a man. It was rather difficult to tell when one had to see through that much makeup.

"What do you want?" he asked gruffly. He was in no mood to play nice to a walking paint palette. _'Please don't let him be seishi!'_ he prayed fervently to any god that might be listening.

"What do _I_ want? Why, merely to wish a good morning to a fellow seishi!" Chuin smiled. He felt so much braver behind his makeup. The feathers on his headdress moved as if by some unseen breeze.

Leaning up against the doorjamb, he said, "Seiryuu has blessed me as the seishi Tomo. And just who might you be?"

Nakago allowed his eyebrow to quirk ever so slightly at the commoner's insolence. "Someone who does not take kindly to being accosted by a commoner who will not even show his face, but feels the need to hide behind such an elaborate mask," he replied coldly. "If you are truly a Seiryuu seishi, then meet me in his shrine tomorrow morning." A slow smile spread across his face. "If you are brave enough, Tomo." He let the name slide over his lips as if was uncertain whether it was poison or honey. "I will be expecting you. We will see if Seiryuu shares your opinion of yourself."

"Hide?" Chuin laughed. "Hide? Oh my...no, you are mistaken. I do not _hide_. This makeup takes great skill, and as I am to perform for the Emperor himself today I need to be ready." There was pride in his voice.

"I shall be there at sunrise," he added.

"I look forward to your performance, and to your presentation to Seiryuu." He strode off without deigning to even nod. He had already wasted more time on the stranger than he had wanted to. But, it was not all wasted. He had another piece of the puzzle, another step towards fulfilling his grand plan.

***

Nakago finished his duties quickly that day, and decided the troops were getting lax. He was almost into the barracks before he was even noticed, and his jaw tightened as he saw the flurry of movement his arrival provoked. He had indeed been preoccupied for too long. An inner smirk blossomed; he would let them sweat a little.

Slowly wandering between beds, he eyed everything, his face perfectly blank. Not too bad by most standards, and the men did need to have a touch of normalcy in their lives. But it still never hurt to keep them on their toes. He stood face to face with one soldier, watching the nervous sweat slick his shirtless body. He let a slow smile curve his lips and leaned forward just a touch. The man tried to stay still, but gulped and started to twitch. "You have an unclean bowl and uncared for leathers in your area soldier. Clean them." The soldier snapped a hasty 'yes sir' and the Shogun moved on, prowling through the rooms with his deceptively smooth glide.

Finally satisfied with the impression he had made, he left without another word and returned to his quarters. Closing the door behind him, he stripped and stepped into the bath the servant had drawn. One of the few luxuries he allowed himself, and a holdover of his traumatic childhood, he always had to be clean. After a few minutes of soaking, he stepped out and toweled down before slipping into his clothing. Deciding he didn't need armor tonight, he pulled on dark blue, embroidered robes, belting them around his waist with his sword belt. Adding a long knife to the belt, he left his rooms and headed for the temple.

Tomo cackled softly to himself as he waited in the shadows for the blonde to show himself; their meeting in the hallway seemed as if destined by fate and Tomo never went against fate. Fate had proclaimed that he be a Seiryuu Shichiseishi, that he be the master of illusion, that the blonde man who intrigued him so would become his fellow seishi; why question such good things?

Dawn was fast approaching and Tomo could feel anticipation curling in his gut, the same anticipation that always filled him just before a performance but stronger than he'd ever felt before.

Tomo cackled again.

Nakago felt refreshed and ready to take on whatever challenge the gods threw at him this time. This strange actor should prove easy enough, even if he was rather, odd, to put it mildly. Ah well, it seemed Seiryuu chose strange slaves. This was only the latest, and who knew, perhaps the most normal!

He threw open the doors of the temple, striding into the heart of Seiryuu's shrine. His powerful shoulders held square, the voluminous cloak swirling behind him, his jaw hard and eyes clear, he looked the part of a holy warrior.

The large dual doors leading into the shrine of his patron god swung wide, admitting the blonde man he'd met earlier. He strode into the room as if he owned the place; confidence, poise, and cold determination fairly flowed off of the man in waves.

Tomo smirked, "So you did come. I had wondered if you would after the animosity you showed in our earlier meeting." His voice echoed from the shadows that fairly shrouded the room. He dared not move into the sparse light for fear that the amazingly attractive blonde would read the lust in his sharp hazel eyes.

Nakago did not allow his disgust to show on his face, although his lip curled just slightly. He gave the darker man a quick once-over, noting his appearance hadn't changed much.

"I am not accustomed to saying something only to hear myself speak," he said, his voice deceptively soft and calm. "Now, since you are in here, why don't we have a little chat about the rules and expectations of this game of being seishi."

Tomo flinched slightly at the hard tone in the blonde's voice, falling back in the shadows further. "What rules do you mean? We're still waiting for our miko, nothing can move forward without her."

What was this man going on about? How could one have rules and expectations without a miko? Tomo's eyes widened in surprise then narrowed in a calculating glare. What did this man know that Tomo did not?

"Don't tell me that you think you've found a miko. Everyone knows it was only a legend; why try to find someone who isn't going to come?"

"Is there not such a person?" he mused in a soft tone. His eyes were focused on the far wall, and he seemed to stare into eternity. His lips curved into a secret smile as his thoughts wandered pleasing trails. Then the whimsy passed and he came back to the present. His sharp gaze focused on Tomo again.

"Tell me, if you do not believe in the miko, then why did you choose to reveal yourself as seishi? If you simply wish a life of luxury and ease, you chose the worst path to it." He folded his arms and leaned against a pillar.

"And as for rules, they are few. Stay out of the Emperor's sight as much as possible. Stay away from me unless I call you. When the miko is found, guard her with your life and your heart. Do these things and you might survive."

He backed up to the wall as intense blue eyes seemingly pinned him in place. "Well, er..." he stammered over the question but it was soon forgotten as the rules were laid out.

A hiss of anger almost made its way passed his lips as he turned on his heel and strode from the room. As much as he didn't like the patronizing tone and the orders he had been given, he would do as directed... for now and as long as it pleased him to.

"Fine," he called over his shoulder as the door swung shut at his back.

So the painted fool liked to throw temper tantrums did he? Nakago smirked. This one should be incredibly easy to manipulate. He might have thought he could control the situation, but he had a lot to learn. And Nakago knew he was a very good teacher indeed.

He pulled his cloak around him and strode from the room, intending to get some rest. He had to get the girl and her companions out of the palace before his other prizes got there.

On the way to Reikaku; morning

Miaka woke before the sun rose. She cuddled under his jacket for a moment before standing to put it over him. She rolled up her mat, strapped it to the horse and looked back at Genrou.

_He hasn't woken up yet. You'd think a bandit would have sharper ears._

She walked to the little creek she'd seen about a quarter of a mile back, carrying her new gown tightly in her arms. After quickly glancing around to make sure no one was peeping, she stopped at the water's side and took off her old robes. Cautiously, Miaka stuck the tip of her right foot into the water and pulled it out quickly.

_Cold!_

Cradling her chest with her arms, she stepped into the water and crouched low, splashing the water up onto herself. She vigorously rubbed the dirt off of her face and hands and continued to splash water about, getting her hair damp. Then she lay back in the water, floating there peacefully.

She still couldn't believe all this had happened. She was in some strange place for the third day. How much longer would this continue?

Eventually, Miaka got out of the water and dried off before putting on her old robes again. She had grabbed the new package with the intention of wearing it but… what if it got dirty?

Back at camp, she plopped herself down on the ground and braided her long, brown, wet hair.

He was dreaming again; dreaming of being called somewhere with urgency but couldn't seem to move to where he needed to be. He struggled with whatever was holding him down but couldn't escape.

He gave a growl and a wordless cry of despair as the figure he was trying to capture vanished in a flash of blue smoke.

He bolted upright, a cry tearing from his lips as he woke. A hand clutched his chest and the other covered his face as he tried to catch his breath.

A squeak caught his attention and he glanced up to find Miaka looking at him strangely. He blew out a breath, "Sorry, damned nightmares." He muttered as he stood from his bed and set about packing it away.

Genrou quickly gathered a small drying cloth that he'd filched from the inn, a sliver of soap and a pair of clean pants before walking out of camp without a word. He found the small spring Miaka had used earlier and washed quickly, wincing at the chill of the water.

By the time he returned to camp, he was in much better spirits. "Sorry 'bout that Chibi Onna, hadda real bad nightmare." Turning to the small bundle of meat from the night before, he snatched it up and held it out to her. "Here, it's yer dinner from last night. Eat an' we c'n get goin'."

Miaka watched his face with worry but accepted the food, not wanting to ask him about what seemed like a very personal problem. She took a piece of meat out and chewed on it contently. She held the package out at him and smiled. "Want some? I don't mind sharing."

He grinned back at her, "Nah, I'm not all that hungry bein' as how I ate last night."

He moved over to their mount and led the horse over to the stream to drink while he brushed its coat free of a few burrs it had picked up the previous day. Wandering back to the campsite he found Miaka had finished her meal and was waiting patiently for him.

"Ya ready t'go?"

Miaka looked up at him and nodded. "The sooner we get to your mountain and make your boss all better, the better." She mounted the horse with the help of her fiery haired bandit friend and they were soon on their way to Mt. Reikaku.

The day wore on and they traveled for what FELT like days through the blazing heat. Uncomfortable and bored, she tried to make conversation. "So... what's wrong with him? Your boss, I mean."

He cocked his head back to hear her, "Dunno, some kinda thing that makes 'im real dizzy an' he can't breathe too good." He shrugged but grinned again, "The old woman at th' shop I got herbs from knew what I needed though, said it was a real uncommon thing but had th' herbs t'heal 'im with."

They chatted amiably as they rode along, only stopping at noon for food and a bit of rest before continuing onward.

Talking about the boss gave him a foreboding feeling and harp urgency pierced his chest, forcing him to forego the multiple stops he had promised his companion.

When she had started to droop against his back he stopped and moved her around to the front of the horse and pulled her head back to rest on his chest. "Go ahead an' sleep, Chibi Onna. I'll find us a campsite soon."

Miaka curled her head into the soft spot between Genrou's shoulder and his chest, slowly drifting to sleep as they rode on. The constant bumping of her head against his chest was keeping her from getting a decent rest, but she didn't mind. There was a man in pain somewhere and they were going to bring him medicine he desperately needed.

They didn't stop until twilight; the last soft rays of indirect sunlight making the early evening gray and the shadows lengthen.

He felt bad about having dragged her more than a third of the distance to his home in a single day and vowed that once they made it to Reikaku he'd make it up to her somehow. For now his belly was begging for the food he'd declined at breakfast and again at lunch. He'd been too worried over his boss to think of food but now he needed some and feared he was too tired to feed himself properly. He reached back and grabbed a small bit of dried meat from the horse's pack and munched on it a bit.

The girl in front of him shifted her head, reminding him of his responsibility to make sure she was fed and cared for as he carried her along. He sighed and closed the pouch, shifting her in his arms and sliding down from the back of their mount. The horse, tired as well, moved to a small patch to appease her own hunger.

Genrou settled Chibi Onna against the base of a small tree and set their camp up before lifting her and carrying her to the bedroll.

"See ya in th' mornin', Chibi Onna."


	11. Chapter 10

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Courtyard, Imperial Palace of Kutou; late afternoon

"What's taking so long?" Shunkaku whined up at the sky, even though he knew perfectly well. When the Shogun had offered to send them north to help look for Yui-san's friends, he'd jumped at the chance. If it were up to him, they'd have left immediately right then. But making preparations for such a journey took time, aniki had told him patiently, men to be reassigned and supplies to be packed. Packing was practically a foreign concept to Shun, who had nothing in the way of material possessions. He was ready to go on the spot, and upon being told they had to wait, was becoming increasingly restless.

He broke a twig off the tree branch he was laying sprawled on, started picking petals off the little white flowers. The twins were passing the time in one of the Palace courtyards, surrounded by lush greenery and colorful, fragrant blossoms.

Sitting underneath the same tree his brother occupied, Koutoku closed his eyes and tried to pretend they were back out in the country, surrounded by pastures and farmland, or even wilderness. Not in the Palace, in one of the Emperor's own gardens. This place was a completely different world, and he longed to retreat back to what he knew. Which was why he'd been right behind his brother in agreeing to look for Yui's companions. It would get them out of this unfamiliar place, and away from the Shogun. Shun and Yui both seemed to trust the man; it made Koutoku feel almost silly because he just couldn't. He couldn't explain it, either, and that more than anything else was what unnerved him. So he'd take Shun-chan and run away for awhile. Maybe some time and distance would let him clear his head and rationalize.

Yui sat in room of the palace looking out the window. She had tried to help, but found she was getting in everyone's way. As she looked over the palace gardens she spotted the twins underneath a tree.

She walked the halls of the building looking for way into the gardens, but became lost. Her mind started to play tricks on her as she stumbled upon a dim room. Yui quickly backed into the hallway only to bump into one of the servant girls. Both screamed and jumped back from each other. Then Yui found herself laughing with the young woman at how ridiculously they reacted.

Kira, the maid, showed Yui to the gardens and promised she send a messenger when it was time to leave. A smile was on her face. She couldn't wait to give Miaka a great big hug. Yui carefully approached the twins.

"How are you boys holding up?" she asked them, "I'm was getting restless in the room. I saw you both down here from the window and thought to join you."

Koutoku opened his eyes and looked up at Yui, trying to ignore the little shiver than ran down his spine at her approach. Gods, what was wrong with him? He was always wary of strangers -- especially those who seemed likely to land him and Shun in some kind of trouble -- but this was one step shy of paranoia. It was beyond ridiculous. Yui was just a girl, and Koutoku had no reason at all to feel this way. But he still did.

"Hi, Yui-san!" Shunkaku waved and swung himself down from the branch to meet her. While Koutoku was more reserved, Shun had always been the freer of the two with his emotions. And he was quite taken with Yui, Koutoku could tell. Having known her only for a day, the younger twin would have been eating out of her hand if she let him.

Maybe that was part of the problem. Oh, there had been girls come between them before, but never someone like Yui. Never someone who set off every warning bell in his head, someone whom he couldn't figure out why he felt as compelled to protect as he did to run from like hell. Until he could understand it, he didn't want his brother to get attached to someone like that.

Shun, oblivious to all this, picked one of the little white flowers out of the tree and gave it to Yui. "Pretty, ne?" he smiled.

Koutoku wanted to kick him. Instead, he pulled his flute out of its worn leather case and started turning the instrument over in his hands like a worry stone.

Nakago had slept a brief hour, and then rolled out of bed, completely awake. Sleep was an inconvenience, a weakness, and he allowed it the bare minimum necessary to survival. Accordingly, he was always a bit harsher than usual after waking, and most people tried to avoid him. He had a priestess to find. Commanding a servant to halt, he asked where the foreign girl was. On being told she was in the garden, he made his way there as quickly as possible.

A subtle change in the atmosphere made Koutoku raise his head. He felt.... He couldn't say exactly what it was he felt, but the Shogun was coming towards them. A sort of paranoid premonition, perhaps? He was already on edge because of Yui; it was worse when she and the Shogun were together. He kept unconsciously turning his flute over and over in his hands. Gods, he needed to get out of here.

Shunkaku caught a glimpse of the Shogun approaching, and turned to face him. "Hi, Nakago-san," he said, oblivious to -- or maybe just ignoring -- his brother's silent unease. Sometimes aniki just made no sense at all. "What's taking so long? Isn't everyone ready to go yet?" he whined. Patience had never been one of Shun's strong suits.

Nakago quelled the urge to tame the boy with an icy look. There would be time enough to train the impetuous youth later. Right now, he didn't need any resentment among them. So instead of his usual frown, he forced a slight smile on his face and addressed them all.

"Everything should be ready by this evening; however, it would probably be wise to wait for tomorrow morning before you start. You would not get far today, and the less time spent in the open, the better. It is your choice of course."

He felt the electric rippling along his skin again. This girl was dangerous, even if she did not realize it. Best to keep her happy and safe, and bring her to him slowly. Fate had thrown his heart's desire before him, and he had no wish to throw away so precious an opportunity.

Yui turned to face the Shogun and, like Shunkaku, she was impatient to leave. Yui was disappointed that the Shogun suggested leaving tomorrow. She wanted more than anything just to go then, but she didn't want to jeopardize anyone's life by being irrational.

"You are right. We'll leave in the morning," she stated, sadly. Miaka was drifting out of her hands again. "Thank you again for helping me."

Almost to Reikaku; morning

Miaka was awoken by bright sunlight. "Ugggh..." She rolled over and covered her face with the blanket, trying to block out the day. Eventually, she pulled the blanket up a bit to take a look around. Her eyes came to a stop on her partner in travel. He looked utterly exhausted. They must have been riding much longer than planned, seeing as he didn't seem to be disturbed by the sunlight. She pulled her uniform jacket over her head, not wanting to wake him, and tried to go back to sleep.

Genrou awoke late in the day, the cramps in his stomach forcing him awake against his wishes.

Casting a bleary eyed glare around the campsite he found Miaka sleeping with that brown jacket she'd been wearing when he'd found her draped over her face. He chuckled at her and stood from his bed.

_Shit, we ain't gonna get nowhere t'day *sigh*, might as well find somethin' fer dinner a'fore Mi-chan wakes up._

He strode from their impromptu campsite, moving deeper into the woods hoping to spot an animal large enough to fill their bellies tonight as well as giving them something with which to break their fast the next morning.

Spotting a small feral hog, he pulled a dagger from his belt and threw it at the hog. It stuck in its hide just in front of the shoulder but this hog wasn't going down without a fight.

"SHIT!" He cried as the hog turned and charged at him. Running for all he was worth, Genrou made it to the edge of the tree line and looked back. The hog had followed but was laboring under his wound and collapsed to the leafy ground.

Stalking over to the hog he pulled his dagger free and made quick work of putting it out of its misery and cleaning the carcass. Hefting the animal up by its back hooves, he dragged it back to camp.

He skinned and filleted the hog, leaving small chunks of meat on the bones to feed the other wild creatures he tossed the remains back into the woods and set about getting a cook fire ready.

After several large slabs of meat had been cooked and set aside to eat later, Genrou began smoking the rest over their fire to ensure that it would keep for more than a few hours and not draw predators to their camp.

Moving over to the still sleeping girl, he nudged her awake with the toe of his boot. "Oi Chibi Onna, wake up. Food's ready!"

Miaka pulled the jacket off her face with a groan. Had she slept the entire day away!? Her body still felt stiff and sore.

"What is it?" She asked as she examined his fire and the 'food' that he mentioned.

He grinned as her eyes zeroed in on the food; trust Mi-chan to worry about eating before anything else.

"It's food, ya baka. What's it look like?" Grinning again he moved back to the fire side and grabbed up a slab of meat, attacking it with vigor to settle the loud complaints of his empty stomach.

Glancing up from his food he grabbed up another thick hunk of meat and held it out to her. "Eat, Chibi Onna. Y'ain't gotta worry 'bout ridin' again t'day, we're takin' a breather, we'll get goin' again in th' mornin'." With that he went back to hungrily consuming his portion of food.

Miaka nodded in agreement and took her serving of food with a hungry glance. In moments, she had eaten her portion and then some more. "Thank you Gen-chan," she mumbled through bites of food. "I'm going to change my clothes. These feel all sticky now."

With an armful of clothing, she wandered deeper into the bushes, making sure that Genrou was far from sight. No more 'accidentally' walking in on her! She untied her obi and took it off, then looked at her dirty hands with a sigh. She shrugged the robes off and examined the sweat and dirt on them. Miaka looked at what she'd manage to gather in her grasp; the new brown package and her school uniform.

_The uniform is still clean. I don't want to get my new dress dirty. But Genrou… Whatever! He's not my mother. I can wear what I want._

Miaka wiped away the dirt and grime from her face with the clean parts of the old robe. Riding was exhausting and dirty, not like taking the subway or walking to school.

Freshly changed and feeling ever so much better from the combination of food and sleep, she headed back to camp. Miaka shoved her clothes back into one of the horse packs with a satisfied sigh and then sat down beside him.

Genrou watched as she made her way back to their camp with a frown.

_Shouldda made sure t'buy 'er a second gown so's she could change an' not hafta wear that damned short skirt again! Damnit!_

He looked at her as she sat down. "Mi-chan, er..." He paused and turned his head, a blush staining his cheeks. "Ya shouldn't wear somethin' like that, I know y'ain't got nothin' else t'wear but... damnit! Yer naked! How'm I supposed t'have ya ridin' on th' back of a horse in _that_!? I'd feel all strange, 'n shit! Naked girls sittin' on horseback ain't exactly a good idea. Y'll, er... 'chafe' y'know, round..." he gestured helplessly for a moment and stood. "Didja hear somethin'? I better go check, t'be sure."

_Damned Chibi Onna makin' me say that shit, now I'm gonna be stuck with a mental image a chafed female parts! GAH!_

Miaka sighed and shook her head. "I'm not naked! This is a lot of clothes. You're just weird." She leaned back against a tree, her eyes returned to the flames licking at the wood. She wrapped her arms around her knees and stared blankly at it.

_We should be getting there soon. Then we can find Yui and my brother and Tetsuya, and we can all go home! Even though I don't know where home is... I'm sure Yui knows! _

Genrou headed into the bushes, looking for nothing more than an excuse to avoid what he'd said for a while. He wasn't sure how long it would take to get to the Mountain, but he felt an urgency to get home that was almost overwhelming, which was why they were stuck spending a second night at their campsite. He'd been too worried about getting back that he forgot that Miaka wasn't used to traveling on horse back and neither was he.

He'd been sore when he first woke up but refused to let it show as he went about the business of getting food and preparing for a second night at camp.

Mi-chan must have been exhausted; she'd eaten about half of what she usually would and had seemed less inclined to chat with him than normal. She also had seemed more subdued, something that he was sure wasn't even in her vocabulary. That girl was like a wild horse! She was always chattering happily or moving around and when she'd just dropped off like she had it had startled him.

Looking down at the ground he suddenly felt ashamed for dragging her around without even asking her if she wanted to go. He'd just grabbed her arm and pulled her along. Hell, as long as he was being honest, he had pretty much kidnapped her and forced her to stay with him. It was too late to do anything about it now, but he still felt bad about it.

With a fanged grin he lifted his head up and silently swore to make it up to her somehow. _Mebbe if'n I give 'er one a my necklaces she'd fergive me? Nah, I ain't giving up one a my necklaces- I'll give 'er somethin' else once we get home._

He waited a little longer before making his way back to camp. When he arrived, he saw her flopped over on her side on the small sleeping mat he'd let her use and felt bad again. She was so worn out! She'd barely been awake for three hours and already she was asleep again. Tossing his coat over her he went to his own mat, curled up and made himself go to sleep.

Miaka slept undisturbed for a few short hours. Then she heard a howl in the distance. Genrou was alllllll the way over on the other side of the fire that had died. Another howl. Miaka sat up quickly and held his jacket to her chest.

Miaka pulled her mat over to Genrou's side and laid it down in a hurry. She sat there, looking around for any sign of movement in the bushes. She blinked rapidly and her breathing was speeding up. She didn't want to wake him up, but she didn't want to be wolf food either.

He was dreaming again. Terrible screams of pain and suffering, interrupted by the faint cry of a wolf, hounded him; pulling him deeper in to the nightmare.

He felt a comforting warmth appear at his side and grumbled in his sleep. Rolling over on to his back, he pulled the warmth over his chest like a shield against the horrors plaguing him. He thought he heard a feminine squeak but wrote it off as nothing more than a mouse.

Settling in for a few more hours, he wrapped his arms over his chest and hugged the warmth to him. His dreams calming at the comfort it provided.

Miaka stayed silent but her eyes grew wide as Genrou grabbed hold of her and pulled her to his chest. "Gen-chan, are you awake?" She whispered as she tried to gently free herself. No luck. She closed her eyes and stayed still, her face pressed to his chest, his arms around her in a tight, warm embrace.

The howling had stopped, but Miaka didn't notice. All she could think of was how confused Genrou would be when he woke up.

Imperial City of Kutou; morning

After Nakago had taken his leave of them, stating that he wanted to make sure there were no faults in the preparations for tomorrow, Yui stayed beside Shun as his brother began playing the flute again.

A servant came in when it was close to dusk to say that dinner was about to be served. He told them Shogun would not be joining them; Nakago had other obligations within the palace tonight. The three ate their food and talked about Yui's world while Shun described some of the twin's travels. As the servants were clearing the last of the dessert dishes Shun had Yui laughing at a particular funny story involving a fishing trip.

Finally, the three went to their rooms for the night. As the sun's first rays came over the horizon Yui opened her eyes. After she slipped into her school uniform, Yui found both boys in the dining area eating a light breakfast. She gave a bright smile, only for it to turn into a yawn and blushed in embarrassment. She realized that they were up very early to start their journey, but the sooner they started today the sooner she would be closer to friends. No one spoke as they ate their food; they were all still trying to wake up.

A servant appeared to take them to the courtyard in front of the palace. A sense of relief washed over her as she stepped out of the palace walls. The palace was beautifully crafted, yet Yui kept getting chills every time she passed statues or hanging tapestries of a water dragon. In the courtyard five soldiers were helping stable boys and servants load supplies into saddle bags. Yui counted seven horses. Six were suited for riders and one was designated as the pack mule. One soldier pulled away from his men to come great the twins and her.

"Lady Yui, I am Sergeant Zhi. It is a pleasure to be accompanying you on your journey," he bowed in front of her. The sergeant wasn't as tall as the Shogun, and his hair color was similar to Tetsuya. Yui smiled to herself remembering the friend of Miaka's brother's. "Lord Nakago wished to be here to see you all personally off, but something came up last minute. Let me introduce you to the men who will also be accompany us. Over by the pack horse are Tashi and Lawan. Shui and Fu are getting the horse for the twins ready." Tashi and Lawan were big for soldiers, they wore short sleeve tunics to let their muscles show. Shui and Fu were more lithe.

Zhi called for his horse, informing Lady Yui that she would be riding with him. All the soldiers towered over the three of them and Yui felt like a small child. However, unlike the city guards from the other day, she felt safe among them. Fu brought a grey mare over to the twins and helped them with their steed. Zhi's horse was a black stallion with some white in his mane and tail. Tashi and Shui mounted two brown mares who seemed more built for speed compared to the strong yellow and white horses Lawan and Fu were riding. The pack mule was another grey mare whose reigns were being held by Shui.

"Okay men, the sun is almost up," Zhi called out to his little group. Yui was sitting in front of him within the saddle as he prodded his horse to march out into the city. Yui thanked the god of this country for there being only a few people out in the streets this early in the morning. Their little group left the city and were on their way to the next town in search of Yui's friends. There was hope in her heart that they would find her friends today, but her logical brain told her the odds were against it happening.

Despite Shunkaku's numerous protests, Yui was riding with Sergeant Zhi. He'd have been inclined to make more of a stink about it, but Koutoku reigned him in. Still, that didn't stop him from sitting sullenly atop the mare he shared with his brother with his arms crossed.

Koutoku held the reigns in his hands, allowing the mare to follow in step behind the Sergeant. He gave a sigh and shook his head good-naturedly at Shun-chan's behavior. Outside of the palace, he felt much more at ease. He was relieved to be putting some distance between them and the Shogun after being stuck in the palace for days.

He still couldn't quite put his finger on why he distrusted the man, but now that they were out of his vicinity, it really didn't matter. Koutoku placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and squeezed.

"Cheer up, Shun-chan. It's a beautiful day."

Birds flittered from tree to tree, chirping excitedly. Clouds floated aimlessly across blue skies. Koutoku pulled out his wooden flute and began to play a soothing tune for his brother and their slow-moving entourage.

***

Nakago stood in the tower room where he plotted out all of the war strategies for his army, watching from the arrow slit as the small band made their way out of the palace gates.

He tapped his whip against his thigh absent mindedly, debating over which course of action to take first. Wait for Ashitare, who would be returning with the miko in tow, or make a sort of peace offering -- hollow as it would be -- to the child Emperor of Konan? How else would he find the bandit that was said to have been with the miko than to make peace long enough to gain access to their border lands?

If he could get his hands on the miko and the bandit, he may have something with which to work his plans on and begin breaking apart the friendship between his miko and the Suzaku no Miko.

"Ryu! Aoi! Come here!" he barked into the stillness of the small tower room. Two black clad men appeared out of thin air, kneeling at the blonde Shogun's feet. Both men had their fists over their hearts in a show of respect.

"Yes, sir," they replied in unison.

"Find me the beast man. Follow his trail and be sure to return him and the miko to me at once. The time for waiting is over. We are moving now."

"Sir!" they replied and vanished once more.

Nakago turned to the arrow slit again, watching the band of travelers until they were mere specks in the distance.

"Soon, the stage will be set. All we need now are the players."

The woods between Kutou and Mt. Reikaku; morning

Kouji stepped quietly through the woods as the night waned. He'd been out scouting the roads for unwary travelers. Not because they needed the taxes, but to take his mind off the Boss' illness.

_Genrou's been gone longer than I thought. Wonder if he ended up findin' th' herbs or if he's in some sorta trouble._ Kouji shook his head. _Nah, he'd be able ta fight his way outta just about anythin'._

He continued his silent search until a rustling in the distance caught his attention. Freezing in place he closed his eyes and remained still until he could finally place which direction it was coming from. Maybe today wouldn't be a total waste, after all.

He hadn't run into anyone on his way so they must be headed in his direction, or they would be once they woke up. Quickly he looked around and located a tree that looked perfect. It had quite a bit of leafy foliage a branch that was in perfect position to allow him to leap down onto the road. As he headed toward it he thought he heard a woman's voice in the same direction as the rustling.

A grin spread across his face causing the scar on his cheek to shift. If there was a woman then the travelers probably had something of value on them. And if not, heck, the woman might be worth something as ransom. He clambered up the tree and settled himself on the branch in a comfortable and ready position. The sun would be up soon and then he would have a bit of fun.

Genrou awoke at dawn to find he had an armful of Miaka sprawled across his chest. He froze for a moment, debating on whether he should shove her off or scream at her for trying to molest him in his sleep.

Miaka rubbed her face against his chest, deep in a dream.

"No thanks, I've had enough ice cream today," she mumbled in her sleep.

Genrou grinned at her strange, sleepy comment and blinked down at the top of her head. _Heh, she ain't so bad... ugh, damned onna sleepin' on me an' makin' me all... gushy._

He decided that shoving her off of him would be his best choice; it would save his eardrums from her screams. One hand at her side he pushed as gently as he could while still moving her form off of him. Once she was safely on the mat beside him he quickly got to his feet and went over to the small satchel by the dead fire and rifled through it for breakfast.

Turning his head, after deciding that his face was a normal color once again, he called out to her; "Oi Chibi Onna! Wake up, time t'get movin'."

He waited a moment and walked slowly back to her side, toeing her hip in an attempt to wake her up.

"Onna! Food!"

Kouji froze as a familiar voice drifted through the woods. _Genrou? With a girl?_ He shrugged to himself. Maybe the girl was a healer. Though at this point he doubted that anything was going to save their boss. Before he'd left to head out scouting he'd checked in on the boss and had a feeling that that visit might be it.

_Still, there might be somethin' ta hope for._

He focused his attention back on the road, waiting for Genrou and his companion to start their trek this morning. This altered his plan slightly but definitely had more amusement value. He smiled and adjusted his position on the branch.

_Heh, time to see if I can get th' drop on ya, ol' buddy._

Miaka moaned as he pressed his boot into her hip, beckoning her to wake up. "Do I haaaave to?" She whined like a child as she sat up and rubbed at her eyes.

She was barely awake enough to open her eyes all the way, let alone respond to anything Genrou had been saying. She grabbed some food from him and ate it absentmindedly. "Will we be there today?" After all this time on the road, Miaka just wanted a hot meal, warm bath, and a soft bed to sleep in.

"Yeah, Chibi Onna. Just shut it fer now an' let's get movin'." He was grumpy after having had such bad dreams and waking up with Miaka sprawled across his chest.

He helped her stow their gear on the horse and climbed up, pulling her up in front of him. "Yer changin' yer clothes before any a th' bandits see ya. They ain't seen a pretty girl like you in months an' I ain't savin' yer ass if'n ya keep wearin' _that_."

With that he nudged the horse forward, keeping his eyes on the road.

Miaka didn't know if she should take him calling her pretty as a compliment since it was followed by another remark about her uniform. She watched as the scenery passed her by. She couldn't wait to find Yui-chan and tell her all about her adventures.

Genrou pulled the horse to a stop, looking around for a moment. Something felt... off.

He wrapped a hand over her mouth to make sure she would stay quiet for a moment so that he could listen and figure out just what was wrong.

Hearing nothing after a few moments he nudged the horse onward, still keeping a watchful eye on the shadows at the base of the trees and hoping to find whatever it was that was making him feel like he was being watched.

Miaka struggled under his arm, trying to push his hand away. When he finally let go she took a huge breath of air in.

"What the hell was that about!?"

Kouji had to fight from laughing. As it was he was afraid that the shaking of his attempt to hold in the laughs was causing the branch to tremble. Genrou never got along well with women. Though this one was kinda cute, if a little young looking. He struggled with his laughter again as she snapped at his buddy.

In just a moment the timing would be perfect. They were about to pass under his tree, and at a snail's pace. _Genrou knows somethin's up. Time ta act before he bolts,_ he thought.

With a yell that he had perfected over his years as a bandit Kouji jumped out of the tree and managed to plant a booted foot on Genrou's back throwing his weight into it hoping to knock his friend off the horse in a way that wouldn't land him with broken bones. He continued his fall and landed neatly on the animal's back without too much of a jolt to certain...delicate...areas.

He wrapped his arms around the girl, pinning her arms down with light force. Kouji leered as he leaned forward and whispered into her ear.

"Gotcha!"

Genrou had only a moment of warning before he found himself knocked off of the horse and face down in the dirt. Jerking to his feet and wiping the dirt from his mouth, he glared up at their attacker.

"That was real fuckin'- KOUJI!" His eyes widened and a happy smile curved his lips. "What th' fuck are ya doin' here man? Great t'see ya!" He grabbed his friend by the arm and jerked him from his place behind Miaka and started swinging him around in their customary greeting dance.

Kouji happily joined in the dance that was a welcome ritual. "Hey, Genrou! Thought ya needed some shakin' up. I could hear both of ya comin' a mile away."

He stopped and patted his friend on the back. "Besides, how could I resist gettin' ta knock ya off your horse and get close to th' lady you're travelin' with?" He laughed for a moment and then sobered.

In a lower voice he spoke to his friend. "I've been out fer a day or so. I needed to get out and was hopin' I'd run back into ya." He looked straight into his best friend's face. "It's th' boss. He's bad. Bad enough that I think we ought ta hurry."

Genrou sobered quickly, the news that the boss was barely hanging on left him cold but he remembered the herbs he had gotten in Kutou and patted the pocket of his coat with a tight smile.

"I got th' herbs he needs, some grandma in Kutou said these were what we needed t'heal 'im. Said t'brew it inna tea an make 'im drink it." He climbed back in to the saddle and looked around for a moment. "Damnit!"

He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face, streaking left-over dirt across his cheeks. He climbed back off of the horse and motioned Kouji closer.

"You an' Mi-chan ride t'Reikaku, I'll keep up with ya through th' woods. I don't want 'er t'see how fast I am. She's already kinda curious 'bout my mark, can't have 'er knowin' all a my secrets, ne?" Though he had said that last part jokingly, he was entirely serious. He knew there was something about that girl that could make being the next leader of Reikaku a distant memory.

Miaka had no time to react to the strange hands gripping her waist. As soon as she was able to form a coherent thought, she had been released and the two bandits were dancing strangely around in a circle. "Eh?" They were talking too quietly for her to hear.

"Are we still headed to the Mountain?" Miaka asked Genrou with a curious expression.

He turned from his conversation with Kouji to look back up at the girl he'd almost forgotten. "Heh heheheh. Yeah Mi-chan, we're still headed t'the mountain. Chibi Onna, this is Kouji; my aniki an' th' best bandit on Reikaku other than th' boss an' me-o'course. Aniki th'Chibi Onna. Now we know everybody."

He was very uncomfortable lying to her and turned his eyes away from hers to stare over her shoulder. "Mi-chan, you'll be ridin' t'Reikaku with Kouji. I'll- er, I'll meet ya there. I got er... things t'do first."

A smart ass remark teased the end of his tongue but the lady that was traveling with Genrou leaned over and grabbed the other bandit's attention with a question. As Genrou explained to her that she'd be traveling with him instead, Kouji climbed up on the horses back.

"See ya there Genrou!" He called with a conspiratorial wink as he kicked the horse in to a gallop.

They hadn't been going long when he spotted one of the other bandits. He looked out of breath and relieved to find him. Kouji slowed their pace, drawing abreast of the frantic looking bandit.

"Kouji! Kouji!" the nondescript bandit called, "Ya gotta get back ta th' Stronghold, th' Boss is dead! Found 'im this mornin' when I went t'give 'im breakfast."

"Shit! Arright, go back t' the mountain an' tell everyone that Genrou's on his way there if he ain't there already."

Again, Kouji spurred the horse and took off.

Miaka wasn't sure about being left with some guy she'd never met before, but if he was a friend of Genrou's then he must be okay. But the Boss… She was immediately worried for Genrou's sake. Then the last part of what Kouji had said sunk in.

"How could he be there already?"

Kouji looked down at Miaka before answering as they rode as swiftly as he dared on horseback past the bandit runner. "Ah, don't worry yer little head about it. It'd be kinda hard to explain, especially now." He smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way though his eyes held the pain. "Hang on tight, Chibi Onna, we need ta move a bit faster."

He spurred the horse into a full gallop and trusted more to the animal's instinct for footing and direction along the path.

***

Genrou watched the two ride off. Once the last of the dust settled and he could not see them anymore, he dashed in to the woods that ran parallel with the road.

Using his gift for speed, he caught up to and passed his two friends on horse back laughing to himself as he raced up the mountain. He was eager to get home, eager to heal his boss and relieve the worry that had plagued him since he'd found out about the boss' illness.

Not too far up the road he spotted the first of the sentries and dashed past them without another glance. He passed two more checkpoints and before long was standing at the front double doors leading in to the Stronghold of the feared Mt. Reikaku Bandits.

"Oishiri, open th' damned door! It's Genrou back with herbs fer th' Boss!"

When no answer came immediately he frowned, but the sound of hoof beats drew his attention. Kouji and Miaka had arrived.

As the Stronghold finally came into view Kouji saw a flame-haired figure beating on the wooded doors. Kouji pulled up hard and let the panting animal rest after the flight through the woods.

"Kouji! Oishiri won't let me in. No one's answerin' th' damned door," Genrou called out as Kouji slid off the horse's back. He didn't respond immediately, unsure of how his buddy would take their leader's death and gently lifted Miaka off the horse and set her on her feet as a distraction.

Kouji spoke in a hushed voice, still not looking at Genrou, but instead at Miaka. "Genrou...we met a runner on th' path, ya would have missed 'im takin' the way ya did. He had news."

After another moment of silence he turned to face Genrou and let the look on his face speak for him first. Finally he found the words.

"He's gone."

He stared at Kouji blankly for a moment before a shaky laugh escaped him, "Arright, quit fuckin' around. He ain't gone nowhere, y'said he was still hangin' in there when ya left just a couple'a days ago."

He turned back to the double doors and tried to force them open as he tried to keep the tears that were building at bay. His voice was shaky, "OPEN TH' FUCKIN' DOORS, DAMNIT!" He pounded against the doors with renewed vigor as the tears escaped him.

Miaka hopped down from the horse. This man had protected her and kept her safe all this time. If he hadn't stopped to care for her, he might have made it in time. She slowly walked up behind him, not wanting to let the guilt overwhelm her. Softly, she laid a hand on his back.

"I'm so sorry Gen-chan."

He sank to his knees, not bothering to hide the shaking of his shoulders or the tears rolling unchecked down his cheeks.

He turned his face to Kouji, "Aniki..."

Kouji stepped over to Genrou and Miaka. He patted Miaka on the shoulder and gave her a weak smile then knelt beside the young man. "I'm sorry," he said, putting his arm around Genrou. He felt his own tears start to rise but fought them back. For this moment he had to be the one to lean on. Time enough to cry later.

He pulled Genrou close so that he was leaning on Kouji's shoulder and let him cry.

Kouji looked up at Miaka and addressed her. "We can't offer much right now, Chibi Onna, but I c'n show ya to a spare room and the baths in a bit." Against his will he felt a tear escape. "I'm sorry ya came at a bad time."

He hugged Genrou again and spoke quietly. "Let's go in, Genrou. You need ta see 'im."

Miaka nodded, staying silent so as not to disturb the moment. She'd never seen the bandit show so much as a saddened expression, let alone cry.

He let himself cry against Kouji's shoulder, feeling torn between needing comfort and accepting it.

Kouji helped him to his feet and into the Stronghold, he wiped his tears away with one hand while gripping Kouji around the shoulders with the other. "Wait a m-minute, I can't see him like this. Let me get control first." He let go of Kouji and leaned against a wall, taking deep breaths to try to reign in his emotions.

He stood there for several minutes, head leaned back against the wall, hands clenched and eyes screwed shut. Pulling his shirt out of his pants, he scrubbed it over his face, wiping the last of his tears away. Jaw set, he pulled away from the wall and started walking towards the Boss' chambers.

"Let's go see him fer th' last time."

Kouji watched Genrou as he started walking down the hall. He turned to Miaka and gestured for her to follow. "It's okay," he said to her. "You c'n come too. Genrou wouldn't 'ave brought ya here if he didn't trust ya."

After Miaka followed Kouji took up a few paces behind her. _Genrou's th' Boss now, _he thought. _Th' guys'll follow him. We jus' need ta get through this._

He watched Miaka as she followed behind his best friend. _Wonder why Genrou brought her along? He must'a had a good reason. She's not a healer. Looks more like one a the light skirts that come up every few nights in those clothes._ He shook his head. _Better put 'er in a room near his and warn the guys. Though I doubt they'll be much in th' mood fer "entertainment" righ' now._

He sighed inwardly as they neared Hakurou's chamber. The Boss had been like a father and brother to him and Genrou. It was hard to think that he was gone after all this time. Kouji had a feeling when his friend had left to find medicine that there was nothing that would cure their leader. But it had been best to have some hope, any hope, at the time.

As they neared Kouji saw many fellow bandits grouped outside the chamber. Most were lost in their own thoughts. The Boss had been well liked and no one was taking his death well.

Except for one fellow. Kouji saw him out of the corner of his eye for just a moment before the man blended back into the shadows. He stood out in Kouji's mind for the simple fact that he had been the only one with a slight smile on his face. What was the guy's name?

_Damn._ Kouji shook his head again. _I'll worry about it later. Right now we need ta get th' Boss ready._

It was terrible. So many sad faces. Genrou didn't even spare them a passing glance, his attention was focused on the silent figure laying on the bed at the far end of the room. Sorrow and guilt warred for dominance as he approached, hands shaking and tears welling up in his eyes again as he looked down at the man who was almost a father to him.

The tessen lay across his chest under folded hands, dark hair fanned across a pale face and the softest smile graced thin lips. Genrou went to his knees for the second time that day, bowing his head and whispering a prayer for his boss' soul.

He could hear the other bandits whispering their own farewells. Kouji and Miaka at either side of him, one hand on each shoulder. He clenched his jaw and got to his feet, lifting the tessen from Hakarou's lifeless grip.

He was the boss now; had been chosen by Hakarou to succeed him after his death. His hand clenched over the hilt of the tessen as he turned to face the- _his_ bandits. _Might as well start out right..._

"You two," he pointed at Hakarou's best friends, Oishiri and Tasaka. "Get him ready fer his tomb an' see about settin' up a celebration dinner in his memory. He was our boss, we are damn well gonna send him off with a bang!" The two bandits nodded and went to do their leader's bidding, while the rest of the bandits filed in to pay their last respects.

He had sounded so much more sure of himself than he felt. He gripped Kouji's wrist tightly, drawing comfort and strength from his best friend. "Would you get Miaka a room an' somethin' t'eat? I wanna talk t'ya afterwards. Y'know where I'll be."

Miaka followed behind Genrou and Kouji, trying to keep her distance. Now was not the time for being selfish. No one she loved had ever died before. How was she supposed to behave? Her fingers clenched around the pack containing their clothing that she'd carried up with her from the horse.

_That's it!_

She followed Kouji to the guest room and waited for the door to swing shut before letting out a big sigh. She only just met Genrou a few days ago, but she felt so close to him it scared her a little. She shouldn't be so affected by the death of a man she never knew.

_At least I can do one thing for him._

She pulled out the brown package from their pack. With careful movements she unwrapped it, not wanting to rip the paper. Miaka removed the silk red robe and looked admiringly on the fiery red bird stitched into it. Her nimble index finger followed the golden outline as she tilted her head. She took off the uniform, shoving it into the pack, and pulled on the new, red robe. She tried her best to tie the obi in the same way that he had the day he met her.

***

Genrou made his way back out of the bandit hideout with a few bottles of sake tucked under each arm. He was planning to get as drunk as humanly possible in the privacy of his own private place. No one but Kouji knew where his 'fortress' was, he planned to keep it like that.

It was his retreat, his hiding place when life got the best of him and he needed the comforting walls, that he and Kouji had built, now more than ever.

The dreams were getting worse, Hakarou had died, Miaka needed him to get her back to her friends, the bandits needed him to lead them, and his mark was showing up more and more often. Things had been building up and he needed to release some tension; getting blind stinking drunk was his answer.

It was dusty and smelled faintly of old socks when he arrived, he set down his burden and plopped himself down on the edge of his bed while opening one of the bottles and taking a long pull directly from the bottle.

"I sure hope ya get here a'fore I get too far gone, aniki. I really got a lot a shit t'tell ya."

***

Kouji went to check on Miaka before heading out to where he knew Genrou would be. He knocked on her door and called out, "Chibi Onna....you okay in there?"

As he waited for an answer he shifted from one foot to the other. He was worried about his best friend and yet wasn't sure he wanted to leave Miaka alone in the Stronghold with the other bandits. He trusted most of them with his life but there were some new ones, and even some older ones, that he wasn't so sure about.

He knocked again. "I hate ta bother ya right now but I need to check on Genrou. Before I go I tell ya a couple a things, preferably in private."

He waited again, hoping his buddy would be alright for a few moments longer.

Miaka ran to the door and opened it without hesitation. "Kouji, right?" She opened the door wider, as if to say 'come in'.

Kouji took a quick look around the hallway to make sure it was empty and then stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him.

He looked at Miaka in the red robe and smiled. She really was pretty! "At least ya won't be teasin' the men so much now that ya have more clothes on." He walked over and knuckled the top of her head. "I think ya turned heads earlier." He sobered for a moment. "Which is why I wanted to talk to ya."

He sat on the bed and motioned for her to sit next to him. After she had settled herself he continued. "I need ta go and check on Genrou but I'd rather not leave ya here alone without some options. Not to mention I have a feelin' Genrou would 'ave a fit if'n I let you roam around without an escort."

Kouji smiled grimly. "I've gotten one a th' guys that I've known for years an' trust with my life to stand guard outside th' door. If ya need anythin' like food or the like let 'im know. He'll either get it fer ya or take ya to it."

He paused for a moment. She was watching him, taking in his words. He just hoped she'd remember this next part. "If anythin' goes wrong or one of the guys tries ta get 'friendly' wit' ya, scream and run fer the path. Genrou and I will find ya."

Standing he knuckled her again. "Think ya c'n handle all that, Chibi Onna?"

"I'm sure you don't need someone to watch me. I'll just stay in the room and find some way to entertain myself!" Miaka tried to keep her happy face on. She wanted to talk to Genrou and find out what the plan would be now but this wasn't the time for badgering him with questions.

Kouji stood and stretched. "I'd feel better, and I know Genrou'd agree if ya make sure ya stay Shinobi if ya go out of th' room." He jerked a thumb in the direction of the door, meaning the bandit outside.

She watched Kouji's face carefully. Would she really be safe here if she needed a bodyguard? "Will he be okay?"

"We'll be back soon, Chibi. Don' worry." He flashed her one of his best grins and headed out.

***

Genrou was busily downing as much sake as he could possibly handle at one time. In the short time he had been in his retreat he'd downed almost an entire bottle of his 'comfort'. He was starting to feel a little hazy but no where as drunk as he needed to be, so he tried to drink faster and ended up choking a bit and set the bottle down to catch his breath.

He'd only been there an hour at most and knowing that women would take forever to be satisfied that everything was 'perfect', his sisters and mother had made sure to keep him waiting for _long_ periods of time, he was sure that Kouji was moving as fast as he could.

_Shit! Kouji, aniki, I'm afraid I ain't gonna get that chat with ya seein' as how I'm probably gonna be way too drunk t'be able t'talk plain in a few more minutes..._

As soon as Kouji was outside the Stronghold he began to run, knowing that Genrou was probably wondering what happened to him. The doors of the hideout came into view and he slowed to catch his breath.

He straightened, knocked on the door, and began speaking.

"Knock, knock. Who's there? It's Kouji. Kouji who? Genrou's buddy that's who. Come right in!"

He pushed open the door and poked his head in. "Arigatou," he finished.

Genrou grinned drunkenly at his friend as he stuck his head into the room. He had doffed his coat and shirt while consuming a bottle and a half of sake and now he giggled madly at the other bandit's self greeting.

"K'ji, where y'been? Th'par'y star'ed wi'out ya." His cheeks and chest were flushed with drink and his words were more than a little slurred. "C'mere an' 'ave a 'rink wi'me, an'ki."

His happy grin nearly split his face as he attempted to stand and do their dance, having forgotten that they had already done that when they had met earlier, he ended up falling before he reached Kouji and giggled up at his laughing friend.

He rolled over to try and get to his feet again when he spotted the tessen lying on the bed behind him. He was serious almost immediately, as reality crashed through his drunken haze.

"No, not gonna thin' 'bout th' boss righ' now. Gonna drink m'self stupid an' yer gonna help me, ne?"

Kouji couldn't help laughing at his friend's drunken state. Normally Genrou was the last one standing. _Obviously not tonight," _he thought wryly. He stepped in and closed the door behind him.

"Damn, Genrou, you've been drinkin' since ya left?" he asked as he leaned down and hauled his friend upright. Carefully the two staggered back to the bed and Kouji let Genrou drop onto the mattress. He looked around and spied another bottle of sake and grabbed it. "And yeah, I'm gonna help ya." He grinned. "Th' Boss woulda wanted it this way."

With that thought he upended the bottle and downed a good portion in one go. "Shit, that's good stuff," he exclaimed. "No wonder that you're this drunk already." He patted Genrou on the back and took another drink.

Genrou grinned drunkenly at his friend, snagging a bottle from the floor at his feet and slugging back several hearty gulps.

"Jus' so ya know, I left your Chibi Onna under Shinobi's watch. I didn't wanna leave 'er alone, even with the guys preoccupied," Kouji said as he pulled the bottle from his lips.

Genrou frowned for a moment, "She ain't _my_ Chibi Onna. I'm tryin' t'get 'er back t'her friends. She was a bit of a prob'em at first, got my ass stabbed in th'shoulder 'cause 'a her. Damned women." He said pointing at the bandage around his shoulder.

"She's gotta go t'Eiyou after th'... boss'... funeral." He lifted the bottle to his lips again and drank deeply, killing half the bottle in one go.

"Eiyou? Are ya gonna be gone long? Th' guys need ya." Kouji's hazy thoughts drifted briefly to the smiling face he had seen and not trusted. Before he could dwell on it, it slid out of focus again.

Genrou put his bottle down for a moment and stared at the wall opposite him, "I don' think so, should be gone fer about two weeks if'n we gotta search long."

He paused long enough to take a long pull from the bottle. "Th' guys a'd do fine with ya leadin' 'em in my place jus' long enough t'get 'er back t'er friends; o'course I'm takin' th' tessen with me. That girl gets in more trouble than I ever saw."

"My fuckin' mark started glowin' th' other day when I was fightin' th' scum what tried t'take 'er, she noticed aniki. She asked 'bout it an' when I told 'er she gave me a real strange look. She knows somethin' but I'm afraid 'a what it might be."

Kouji grabbed another bottle of sake before leaning back against the wall and finishing his first. "Yer mark glowed? While ya we're fightin' near 'er?" He shook his head and tossed the empty bottle gently onto the floor. "It's fuckin' weird, yeah, but are ya sure she knows anythin' about it? I mean, sh' seems pretty...well..." Kouji paused, unable to find a word in his tipsy state to fit Miaka. He drank more from the new bottle to cover it.

He guzzled down the rest of his sake and reached out for another bottle, pulling the cork out of the neck and looking down at it. "Ya thnk she's gonna be safe while we get drunk?"

"I dunno. She said she wasn't gonna leave th' room. An' I trust Shinobi to keep 'er safe. 'Sides, 'e knows if'n she gets 'urt I'll take it out on 'im." Kouji paused then and looked at his friend. "Ya care about 'er tha' much?"

Genrou stopped, bottle halfway to his lips, to turn and stare in horror at his friend. "Shit no! I mean, yeah I get royally pissed if'n anyone tries t'hurt 'er but it ain't like I'm in love wit' 'er. Ya know I'm lookin' fer th' blue haired person wit' th' permanent smile, aniki." At that he flopped back on the bed to stare up at the ceiling, he sighed and frowned as he opened his mouth again. "Th' dreams are gettin' bad, aniki. After I found Chibi Onna, they started gettin' real bad-every godsdamned night bad...- an' I don't know what t'do."

***

Miaka was beginning to get bored with her surroundings. With the whole Mountain in her reach, she started working on a crazy plan to go exploring. She opened the heavy door to her room and looked at the bandit who turned to greet her with a small smile. "Eh, what iz it?" He asked her with a forceful voice.

"Er... could I get you to get me some food?" She asked shyly. "I've been traveli-"

The young bandit cut her off in an instant. "Sure will. You stay put. I'll be right back." He walked off, mumbling something about being a 'damned nursemaid.'

Miaka waited for a few moments before opening the door and looking around. No one was in sight. Perfect! She slipped out of the room and snuck through the halls, stopping to admire the paintings and trinkets adorning the place. It was sort of like a pirate's cove!

CREEAAAAKKKKKK

She stopped. That sound had come from behind her. She turned to look, but there was no one there. At first, this was a relief. Then she remembered she was in a bandit stronghold. Thieves needed to remain unseen and unheard.

_Okay Miaka, you've got two choices. Option a, you go back to the room. Option b…_

CREAKKKKKKKKK

Without finishing her thought, Miaka shrieked and took off at a run. She glanced back over her right shoulder and slammed into something as solid as a brick wall, falling backwards onto the floor. When she looked up, a very large bandit and two smaller, weasel-like ones were looming over her.

"Look boys! It's Genrou's Onna. We should introduce her to the new boss." One of the bandits sneered.

"Grab 'er!" The fat man ordered.

"She's a pretty one too, eh boss?" They grabbed onto her arms, lifting her up to pull her away.

"Let go of me! Genrou wouldn't allow this!!!" Miaka kicked and screamed.

The fat man grabbed her chin in his meaty hand. "Genrou ain't here now, iz he?"

***

Genrou sat up slowly, cocking his head to the side as he listened for that strange sound again. His head was fuzzy with alcohol but he could have sworn...

_Let go of me!_

His eyes widened and the fuzz in his head faded back a bit. "That sounded like Mi-chan..." he trailed off as the sake bottle fell from nerveless fingers.

Genrou bolted to his feet and darted out the door. His stomach dropped as he heard her screams abruptly die off, fear and anger warred within his chest, before anger finally won. He had barely reached the doors leading into the bandit stronghold when he noticed that he had forgotten the tessen in his haste, as well as Kouji.

"MIAKA! Where th' fuck are ya?!" He called as he climbed the stairs. He heard no answering call, only the sound of sadistic laughter that seemed to echo around him.

_'What th' fuck...? What's goin' on 'round here?'_

Kouji sat for a moment, bottle of sake at his lips, liquid running unnoticed down his chin, and stared at the place his best friend had been only moments before.

It took another second for the distant scream and Genrou's words to fully impact. The drunken state that had been starting to envelope him fell away as though he had been tossed into a cold river.

"I told Shinobi ta keep 'er safe!" he growled. "Dammit!" He tossed the sake bottle to the side with only a twinge of regret and started to run out the door when the sight of Genrou's tessen caught his eye.

"'E left it behind? Fuck! I know he's faster'n most of 'em but agains' that many 'e needs everythin' he c'n get." Kouji grabbed the iron weapon, startled for a moment at the weight of it and then dashed out of the hideout following the hidden path back to the stronghold.

"Genrou!" He shouted, hoping the sound would carry. "Hang on a moment! I'm comin'!"

***

A shadow moved at the far end of the hall, catching Genrou's attention. Narrowed golden eyes followed the movement until it passed around a corner and out of his sight.

_So, someone's playin' with me. Looks like I'm gonna hafta clean house a'fore I c'n take over._

He heard a distant cry from somewhere outside and assumed it was Kouji, a dangerous grin curved his lips. Kouji and Genrou were an unbeatable team; and if the other bandit caught up with him soon he'd have nothing to worry about.

"Oi! Be nice now an' come out. Ya ain't afraid a lil'ol' _me_ now are ya? Che! Some buncha low life's ya are, hidin' behind a girl." His voice was smooth as the blade of a knife and almost as deadly.

A cry echoed down the hall behind him, giving him warning enough to side step his unseen attacker. Devilish delight shone bright in his eyes giving him the predatory look of the animal he was named after.

Two more figures stepped into his peripheral vision, each bearing daggers with deadly intent. A battle cry tearing from his lips, Genrou leapt to the challenge; dodging and lashing out with his feet to keep the shorter bandits back and out of range.

_Get here when ya can, aniki. I get th' feelin' I'm about t'get over-run._

No sooner than the thought passed through his mind than four more bandits joined the fray armed with swallows and swords.

"SHIT!" he yelled as a blade sliced across his back, the blow dealt by yet another bandit that had seemingly come out of the wood-work.

The best he could do was try to keep them at bay until Kouji showed up. _Aniki, I really hope ya bring th' tessen wit' ya, these assholes are just beggin' t'burn!_

The young girl was squealing but with her mouth covered by the bandit's disgusting hand, she couldn't make much noise. Genrou came tearing around the corner, looking for a fight. Was he here for her?

Miaka fought to free herself, finally managing to chomp down on the hand fatty was trying to keep over her mouth. "Gen-chan! I'm over here!"

"Shuddap!" The bandit struck the back of her head with the hilt of his dagger, but not quite hard enough to knock her unconscious. He kept her against his chest; his portly belly jutted into her, making her back bow and offering him a nice view of the small breasts pressed against the red silk of her robe.

_Genrou's got good taste, this 'uns a beaut. _

He stood in the shadows, watching the twenty or so men that were loyal to him fight off the red haired kid that had stolen the leadership position out from under him.

Genrou's head snapped around in their direction and he let out an inhuman roar of rage. The lithe redhead lashed out, knocking back most of his attackers and racing down the darkened hallway with the onna's name tearing from his lips.

Eiken had only a moment to jerk his blade to her throat before Genrou was standing across from him, a golden eyed glare plastered over his elfin features.

"Back off now Genrou," Eiken said with a wicked grin. "This little bitch is mine, but if she means that much to ya I may think a tradin' her... for th' tessen." his round face creased in to a calculating smile while his rotund body jiggled and shook with mirth at the shocked expression Genrou now wore.

"Just pass o'er th' tessen an' ya c'n have yer whore back, nothin' t' think about, ne?"

Genrou stood there staring at the fat little man holding Miaka, unable to exactly figure out what to do. He knew that Miaka's life and virtue were hanging in the balance but on the other hand, his right to the tessen and leadership of the bandits was just as important; the boss had entrusted the continuation of Reikaku to _him_ and Genrou always took his responsibilities to heart.

One thing that must have saved him was his slip up in forgetting the tessen in his cabin; a slip up that would buy him some time.

"Yer welcome t'it if'n you give Mi-chan back. She ain't got nothin' t'do with this, just let 'er go an' you c'n have th' tessen. Deal?"

Miaka tilted her chin up and away from the cold sting of the metal on her throat. This was all her fault! But whatever the men were fighting over, it wasn't really her. This tessen thing was important to Genrou and he'd already lost enough important things today.

"Gen-chan, no! Your boss gave that to you."

Eiken grinned at Genrou's offer, "Sure, I c'n do that. Gimme th' tessen first an' _then_ ya c'n have th' whore back."

His smirk slipped as Genrou tensed for a moment then grinned menacingly, "How 'm I supposed t'trust ya t'let 'er go once ya got the tessen? Drop th' knife an' I'll give it t'ya."

Kouji staggered a bit as he dashed into the stronghold. His breath hitched painfully but he kept up his pace as he followed the shouts through the hallways. _Damn it, Genrou,_ he thought and he made his way as silently as he could. _Next time ya get the fuckin' stupid idea ta bring a girl inta here ya better keep yer own eyes on 'er._

As he came closer to a turn in the hall he heard a smug sounding voice quite clearly.

Kouji froze before rounding the corner. _Genrou mus' be righ' around th' there. How do I let 'im know I'm 'ere?_ He paused for a few seconds and then, praying that his voice would only carry to his best friend and not beyond he whispered, "Knock, knock, aho."

Genrou froze for a moment then grinned, one fang poking out over his bottom lip as he moved his hand around the corner to grip Kouji's shirt in greeting. "C'mon, yer not afraid a _me_ are ya?"

Eiken hesitated a moment, watching carefully as Genrou's hand reached around the corner and stayed there. His jaw clenched and he tossed the knife to the floor with a clatter, "I ain't afraid a _nobody_, much less a snot nosed lil' brat like _you_!"

Genrou moved his hand to Kouji's shoulder and ran down the length of his arm, searching for the tessen's handle when Eiken threw the knife down. He grinned wider and cocked his head so that he could just see Kouji out of the corner of his eye. "Well then," he winked at Kouji, "Let's play."

He rushed forward, tessen in hand, and knocked Eiken to the side; Miaka fell from his grasp.

Kouji was ready to move the moment Genrou had a grip on the tessen. _He's probably plannin' somethin' flashy,_ he thought with a wry grin. Sure enough he caught his friend's wink a second before he dashed out of sight. Kouji sprang around the corner racing to catch Miaka and get her out of the way before all hell broke loose.

"LREKKA SHIN'EN!"

_Shit! Too late,_ Kouji thought before catching Miaka and rolling to the side wall, his body between her and the onslaught.

Miaka flailed about as she was tossed aside. She prepared herself to hit the floor but instead, the blue-haired bandit flew past, tumbling into her body in order to get her out of the way. Spinning to the side, Miaka found herself on the floor and pinned in place by Kouji.

Flames spewed from the end of the tessen catching Eiken unprepared. His scream of agony tapered off into a bout of staunch cursing as the flames died off and he limped away as fast as his feet could carry him.

"Just you wait Genrou, I'll OWN this fuckin' mountain if'n it's th' last thing I fuckin' do!" He growled as he stumbled towards the stairs, "I'll be back with enough man power t'boot ya offa this mountain fer good; then we'll see who's leadin' this here clan a bandits! Just you wait an' see!"

Genrou snorted and rolled his eyes at the fat bandit, not believing for a moment his claims of revenge. He moved over to where Kouji had Miaka pinned against the floor and tapped the other bandit's shoulder. For some unknown reason, the two of them that close together… it irked him, but he didn't want to show it.

"Y'mind gettin' offa Mi-chan now, Kouji?" He asked with a smirk.

His demeanor changed suddenly when he pulled Miaka up from the floor and glared at her, "Arright, just what th' hell happened? Kouji'd barely told me that you was safe in yer room when I heard ya screamin' bloody fuckin' murder! Yer bound an' determined t'make me an old man a'fore my time, I swear!"

"I… I got bored waiting so I thought maybe I could look around a little bit." She knew that a scolding would be coming but she hadn't expected it to upset her so much. She could feel here eyes watering and she fought back the tears. "I'm so sorry, Gen-chan!"

He pulled her to his chest and hugged her tightly, "Don't ever scare me like that again! I damn near pissed myself when I saw that fat bastard put that knife t'yer throat! Not even here a fuckin' day an' trouble finds ya... damnit." He broke off and squeezed her once before he let her go and stepped back.

"I've decided that until we're on our way t'Eiyou, yer stayin' with me at all times. That means yer sleepin' in my room too, so let's go get yer stuff so's we c'n put ya up fer th' night." He turned to look at his best friend. "Kouji, ya fuckin' saved her man- hell, ya saved me too. Thanks fer bein' there fer me, aniki, when I needed ya th' most."

Knowing his reputation as a rough and tough bandit was shot to hell and back he decided that his next move wouldn't hurt him too much; he grabbed Kouji and hugged him just as tightly as he had hugged Miaka.

Miaka tugged at his sleeve, interrupting the manly embrace.

"Am I going to be safe here now?"

He sighed and patted the top of her head. "Yeah. I guess I should'a known that ya would'a been curious." His head dropped and he turned his face away. "I just... never mind. I'll take ya around an' show ya th' Stronghold a'fore th'... funeral... tomorrow."

Plastering a smile on his face he led Miaka down the hall and into a large room. "I'll see about gettin' a cot fer ya after I get some a th' guys t'get rid a Eiken's bastards."

He turned to Kouji and his smile dropped, he couldn't bring himself to pretend at being happy in front of his aniki. "Wanna see about that cot? I'll take out th' 'trash'."


	12. Chapter 11

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Mt. Reikaku; early morning

Silently, Kourin led the horse down a dirt path through the mountainous terrain of Mt. Reikaku. She knew that there were bandits everywhere in these rural regions of the country, but fear wasn't foremost on her mind. The red pain came and went in bursts as they traveled through the night. Now that they had made it, the pain seemed to be gone. But for how long?

"So what do you think we'll find here?" Ju-an decided on breaking the silence, but he wasn't going push to hard. Sometimes, people just wanted to be left alone. He'd sobered up some hours back and ever since then he'd been fighting some sort of weird hangover. It was unlike anything else he'd experienced after drinking.

"I'm not sure, really. But I get the feeling that we're close."

Two men jumped out of the trees and landed on the path before them. Kourin stopped suddenly and looked back at Ju-an.

"Just great. Bandits." she mused as they approached.

The first bandit was tall and lean; he smirked at them, brandishing a short sword. "What brin' y' he'r?" He asked.

"I'm a doctor and I have to go see a patient. It's urgent. Please let us pass."

When he wanted, Ju-an could be charming. Despite being a large and imposing man, he didn't like using violence as his solution.

Kourin had a different approach.

Staring daggers at the first bandit, Kourin cracked her wrist, rotating it as she prepared to deal with the oncoming conflict.

"Doctor, eh?" The two bandits advanced towards them.

"You want money, don't you?"

"Y' got it' righ'!" sneered the first one. "Don'cha be' makin' troubl' wit' us. Or' Genrou wil' hav' a field' day' wit' ya'!"

"Genrou? Doesn't sound very threatening to me." Kourin crossed her arms. There was no way she was going to let these bandits prevent her from finding… whatever it was she was looking for.

"Shuddup!" Snapped the second bandit, who was a little bit on the pudgy side. "Anyon' wh' dares t' mess' wit Genrou ain't th't brigh', ya' kno!"

"Look who's talking!" snapped Kourin, growling. "We do not have any cash, food or decent clothing, for that matter." As she said this, she pointed towards her dirty dress and shoes.

"Ya' don' look like no peasant," sneered the second bandit, pulling out a knife. "Yer' hair alon' shows' that!"

Pulling back a strand of her long, flowing hair, Kourin smirked. "Is that so...?"

Kasenou stepped closer, his blade gleaming in the dim light, his smirk one of malice. He knew Genrou personally and would take no one bad mouthing the brave kid that had fought his way to the top. He respected Genrou for living through all that he had in the short time he had been at the mountain... not to mention the young leader knew how to kick some serious ass!

He darted forward, his brother bandits flanking him as they closed in on the seemingly fragile man/woman and the large one with the foul mouth. He was ready for anything, ready to fight and take what was due them for rights to pass over the mountain.

"Give 'em hell, boys!" He cried out, the coded call warning the other bandits to not take things at first glance and to face their opponents with a sharp eye.

Kourin cracked her knuckles in preparation for a fight. Her energy began to grow, flowing through her body. The flow of ki made her skin tingle. Her yoku began to glow more brightly, shining through the fabric of her dress.

Kasenou backpedaled quickly, the sight of energy glowing on the woman's chest reminding him of other sorcerers who had traversed the mountain.

He flung out a hand to stop the on coming bandit melee, "So yer, a sorcerer? Why didn't ya fuckin' say so, ya bastard?!" Kasenou frowned and backed up a pace, then two. "Fuckin' magic users git t'meet th' boss." His grin widened for a moment. "Th'boss'll love t'greet ya's in person... ya just may not enjoy th' meetin'." He was banking on Genrou's inhuman speed and the flame throwing tessen to back up his claims... he just hoped it would be enough.

_What!? I don't know any magic,_ she glanced down at her chest to see the glowing yoku.

Ju-an tried not to display his obvious shock at the revelation. Later, when they were alone, perhaps he'd be able to share his secret in return. But for now…

"What about me?" he asked.

Kasenou grinned at the man, his even white teeth flashing in the faint moonlight. "Nah, since yer her...er... boyfriend? Whatever, yer travelin' with 'er, yer goin', too."

He motioned the other bandits to fall in line, placing the two sorcerers in front of three bandits and behind the other four, leading them up the hillside to meet their fate.

"Genrou's gonna love this..." Kasenou mumbled under his breath, "He's gonna love this so much, he's gonna fuckin' kill me. Damned girl he's got's gonna be a problem, I just know it."

Kourin smiled and nodded. This Genrou person could be the girl from another world, for all she knew. "Fair enough. Just hurry up will ya?!"

Kasenou growled at the woman as she snapped at him. He rounded on the fragile looking person and just barely managed to keep from throttling him. "It's not like we're just down th' lane, ya fucker! This is a _mountain_ an' it takes a few minutes t'walk it! HOLD YER FUCKIN' HORSES!" he managed to yell through clenched teeth. "Yer gonna meet Genrou in a little bit, don' be so damned eager t'die!"

***

Miaka lay in her cot between Kouji and Genrou and tried to sleep, but her mind wouldn't let her stop thinking about the bandit that took her hostage earlier in the evening. She didn't understand why he would use her as leverage to get that metal fan. Maybe 'cause it shot out fire? But how did the gross bandit know that Genrou would come to save her.

As thoughts slipped away, she settled into a light sleep… until a small green-haired bandit threw the door open.

Genrou looked up as the door opened and frowned, _'Gotta teach these idiots t'KNOCK when they're comin' in, Mi-chan might'a been changin' clothes an' I'd a hadda kill 'im... what th' fuck? When did that shit happen? Hell, it pisses me off when she's in trouble an' now I'm fuckin' protective 'a her...shit.'_

He turned his attention to the rapidly yapping bandit.

"Aye Boss! 'Ere seems t'be some trouble down in th'woods! Th'guys say its two fellas, refusin' to giv'em safe pass payment. One a the guys says th'r talking trash 'bout you... Thought you'd like to deal with this one... seein' as how ur the boss now."

Miaka looked at Genrou and raised a brow. "You're the boss?" She'd had no idea that Genrou was so important.

"Yeah, Mi-chan, that's why I have th' tessen. It's a sorta sign 'a leadership." He turned to Kousu, "Arright, I'll go check it out in a minute. Talkin' trash, ne? Well, we'll just see how well they like havin' their asses fried." He dismissed the green haired bandit with a wave of his hand.

He looked across the room at Kouji, "You stay here an' keep an eye on 'er. I wanna know for-fuckin'-sure she's safe."

He stood up from the bed, lifted the hastily made holster up on to his back, and sheathed the sacred fan. He enjoyed the weight and comfort of carrying the tessen between his shoulder blades and felt a hint of something tease his mind; a sort of knowledge that he would be carrying the tessen like that for several years to come. He shook off the strange thought and walked to the door where he paused one last time to look back at his friend and the small girl he had left in his care.

"Ya better take care 'a her, I'll fry ya if'n ya don't. Got that, aniki?" He asked with a full fanged smirk, and then ducked out the door before any objects could be tossed at his head.

***

Kourin and Ju-an had been led to the gates of the Stronghold. Watching as several of the 'lower' bandits flanked away to their usual duties, Kourin could sense something in the air. A sense of something passing, or mourning, filled the air but she certainly didn't want to comment on it.

Genrou made his way out of the Stronghold to meet the newest mess in an already screwed up day. Kousu had said tat the people coming up the mountain had bad mouthed him; that was just what he needed to put a cap on his day... people who opened their mouths without knowing what they were going on about.

"Where **is** this Genrou person?" Pouted Kourin as they halted before two iron doors. "Is he afraid to face us or just taking his damn time!?"

Genrou grit his teeth and sighed.

He darted down the path, eager to get this meet, greet, and bash over with and get back to Miaka and Kouji. He stood in the shadows for a moment watching the ornery, mismatched couple grumble and swear as they marched closer. Once they were in range he stepped out and grinned.

_This is gonna be fun._

Kourin stopped suddenly, staring at the smiling man with surprise. She had never seen such....such... bright orange hair!?

Remaining calm, she put her hands on her hips. "Ah... so you're the boss of these idiots, are you? You're too young to be the leader of even this group of misfits!" She poked him in the nose. It was either a very brave or very stupid move.

"There's no way this runt is really the leader."

He was shocked to say the least. This diminutive little... person had just called him a kid!

He growled and jerked his head to the side, "What th' hell's wrong with ya? Do ya always poke strange men? Ya ain't too smart a lady if'n ya are. Thank th' gods I hate women..." he trailed off and stepped back, eager to put distance between himself and this loud mouthed woman that was too similar to his sisters for his liking.

Kasenou tapped his shoulder, "Boss ya wanna deal with 'em t'night? Er, well after... ya know... I dunno if'n th' guys c'n take dealin' with prisoners righ' now..." He broke off as his leader's face dropped into shadow. "Shit, Genrou, I'm sorry. I'll put 'em up fer th' night somewhere you c'n deal with 'em some other time."

"Take 'em to th' holdin' chamber, I wanna talk to 'em after th' funeral t'morrow." His voice darkened with fresh sorrow but he hardened his gaze at the two people who had stepped foot on his mountain.

"Be good, just fer t'night. I'm askin' ya please."

Kourin watched the two men talk in hushed voices. Something was amiss; she could feel it deep within her own heart. It was this lurching feeling of loneliness she… no, he had experienced once before when he was younger... His sister...

Someone here had passed away.

Nodding gently, not trying to put up a fight, Kourin realized what was going on. The kid probably had just been promoted to leader, judging by how he and his men spoke to each other. The old boss had likely died unexpectedly. Something must have happened to make a young guy like Genrou look so sullen. But someone had recently passed from this world, Nuriko couldn't mistake it.

_It was just like this when Kourin…_

***

Miaka couldn't help but feel like a child. Someone was always babysitting her. She peered out the window to catch a glimpse of the two people Genrou was going to meet but when her eyes found Genrou, she couldn't look away. He seemed… different. He had an air of authority and all intentions of going there ready for a fight, but for some reason he was acting very calmly.

_Maybe he knows them? It could be a misunderstanding._

Miaka looked across the room at Kouji who was still fast asleep on his bed. It wouldn't hurt to listen in now, right? The Stronghold should be safe. She snuck up to the main door and tried to listen to the end of their conversation.

***

Genrou noticed almost immediately that the woman, who had been loudly proclaiming him an unfit leader, went silent and withdrew.

He quirked a brow at the girl and the other bandits led her away, but not before Genrou had noticed the pain in those strange lavender eyes.

_What th' hell's goin' on? One minute this gal's yellin' an' callin' me all kinds a names an' th' next she's almost bawlin'! GAH! Am I never gonna escape fuckin' tears t'day?!_

He gripped the-now-silent woman by the arm while Kasenou grabbed the large quiet guy and led them towards the main buildings of the Reikaku Stronghold. As they walked he could feel some sort of strange tingle in his right arm where his mark was. He glanced down and almost died of shock.

The damn thing was glowing right through his shirt sleeve, and he just happened to be holding the captive with that arm!

_SHIT! Suzaku, if'n ya c'n hear me, PLEASE don't let girly here see it. It's bad enough Mi-chan saw it damnit! Not this girl too!_

Kourin let Genrou lead her by the arm and she followed willingly, head down. Yet as soon as she felt the leader of the bandits touch her, a searing burst of energy seemed to radiate from her mark.

_Thank Suzaku that I'm wearing this thick tunic or else I might be in some real danger here._

As they trudged through the dark hallway towards the cells below, Kourin felt like something watching them. She glanced around, but saw nothing.

Sighing, she felt Genrou twist her arm and push her towards the empty cell. She entered willingly. At the moment she was trying to push out of her mind the memories of her somber past... especially of his little sister.

She could have sworn that the reason her mark was radiating was because of Genrou. But that just didn't seem possible. She knew it was a girl that was pulling her to the mountain and unless Genrou was really well disguised, he was no woman.

***

Miaka watched the beautiful woman and the tall man glancing about, taking in their surroundings. She waited for them to get a ways down the hall, and for the other bandits to disperse, before following behind them. She walked on tiptoes, sneaking quietly and pausing in each doorway, watching them closely. He was leading them to the cells!

_He wouldn't put friends in jail. Nope, something else is going on here._

Now her idea of what might be going on was totally shot. She'd have to keep spying on them!

***

Genrou knew the moment he let go of the woman that the glowing of his tsubasa was somehow connected to the purple-haired young lady because the tingling stopped as soon as his hand pulled away. He was tempted to grab her arm again just to prove his theory, but decided against it; things were already bad enough as it was.

"I'll be sendin' a guard down with somethin' t'eat in a lil' bit." He offered with a tone forcibly lighter than his mood. "I'll be back after... uh, I get some stuff done t'morrow afternoon."

He walked towards the doorway but paused before stepping through and looked back at the new inhabitants of his prison cells. "If'n ya need anythin' just ask one a th' bandit's t'get it, 'kay? Oyasumi nasai."

Genrou moved as fast as he could back out of the oppressive cell block; he hated putting people in there but for now he had no choice.

He was ready to get his butt in bed and sleep for a few hours before he had to wake up and return to this nightmare.

_'Kouji, I really hope ya got some sake in th' room... I need a fuckin' drink.'_

***

After hearing Genrou approaching, Miaka let out a squeal and tried to find a hiding spot. She turned around quickly, opened the door for the closet and stepped inside, then closed the door behind her. She pressed her ear to the door and listened for Genrou to pass her by before going into the prison area to talk to the people he'd brought inside.

She heard his footsteps echo down the hall, waiting for them to fade before she slowly opened the door and peeked out. No sign of him…

_Now, to find out how they know each other._

The young girl looked around for anyone in the area and was pleased to find that the prisoners weren't being guarded at the moment. She slipped the rest of the way inside and looked at them with curiosity.

"It's nice to see relatives stop by for Genrou…" She paused, unsure of herself. "Or are you his friends?" She thinned her eyes at Kourin and looked her over. She didn't look much like Genrou, but maybe this was his girlfriend? "What's your name?" She asked innocently, taking a seat on one of the chairs outside the wall of metal bars.

Nuriko glanced over at the thin frame of a girl sitting right outside the bars.

"Would a friend lock a friend in a prison cell, miss?" snapped Kourin, flipping a lock of hair over her shoulder. "My name is Nuri- er, Kourin." She glanced over at Ju-an to see he was already asleep. "The lazy one over there is Ju-an."

Nuriko could feel her symbol suddenly begin to burn brightly, even through the cloth. Embarrassed, she tried to cover it with her palm but it was no use. It couldn't stop the reaction. The almost-slip-up on her name and the burning yoku… No, it couldn't be **this **girl.

Miaka gave the prisoner named Kourin a strange look.

_Not a friend, not a relative... _

She tilted her head and smiled, but not for long before she noticed a bit of the young man's collar glowing bright red. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked from the glow-y spot to NuriNuriko's face. She didn't quite piece together what was happening... not realizing that the glowing spot was a symbol like her beloved bandit friend's.

"Nurirerkourin, my name's Miaka," She paused, trying to figure out what her connection to Genrou must be.

"Not Nurirerkourin you baka," she crossed her hands behind her head and leaned back against the wall, "It's just Kourin. Nice to meet you."

How had she screwed up so badly to end up in a cell talking to a strange girl? One moment, he - as a she - was doting on the Emperor, and now this girl was causing a reaction from her symbol!? It just couldn't be her!

"Do you know Genrou from somewhere?" Miaka smiled at the woman sweetly, happy to have another female around to talk with. She felt safe here with her and Ju-an for some reason. It was similar to the feeling she had being with Genrou.

"No I don't. I came here from the capital." She explained, hoping the girl would understand. "I am a - well - a _courtesan_ for the Emperor, but now I'm on a mission of sorts. I met Ju-an," She said this, pointing to the man sleeping in the cell next to hers, "… as I was fleeing. I think he's a drunkard though he claims to be a doctor, but nowadays you can never be too sure. I ran into this group of bandits as we were trying to take a shortcut, but things went awry and now I'm in here."

She watched the expression on the young girl's face carefully, trying not to reveal her nervousness. The symbol was still somewhat radiating and she cursed it silently. So much for avoiding her duty as a seishi. Maybe this girl wasn't the one she was searching for? Deciding to take a chance, Kourin spoke further.

"What's with that Genrou person anyway? He seemed... different from most bandits. I don't know how to put it, but something's unusual here. I can feel-" Realizing she was babbling, Kourin coughed.

It was then that Ju-an woke up from his sleep, feeling the glow from the palm of his hand. It was pulsing through his body, rousing him from a lovely dream about jugs of sake. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. When he was able to focus, he noticed the strangely dressed girl sitting outside the cell. Things were falling into place just as the legend said they would.

Miaka looked over at the man as he sat up. He had a calmness to him that suggested he could actually be a doctor… if he didn't drink so much. Then she noticed the dull red symbol glowing in it. It looked like the one Genrou had.

_I never read anything about glowing red symbols on people in ancient China._

She didn't know if she should be telling the prisoners about Genrou, but they seemed like nice people and figured that if they also had red symbols, it couldn't hurt. "There's a funeral tomorrow. The previous leader died. He was really important to Genrou." She looked down and swallowed heavily, feeling guilty.

"Genrou met me in some place I think he called Kutou where he was looking for medicine for his boss. We were almost here when we received word that the boss died." She chewed on her lower lip and looked away.

_Uh oh. __I need to get back to the room before Genrou does. He'll be worried if he finds me gone again and Kouji will get in trouble._

Miaka nodded to the purple haired woman and the doctor and then nodded. She stood and turned to leave them. "I'm sorry but I just realized it's very late. I am expected back in my room. Have a good night. I hope to talk to you again!" She smiled.

Nodding towards the girl, Kourin forced a weak smile. "Night to you too."

She watched the girl leave with an uneasy sense of concern. She had said she was in Kutou, so she might be their priestess and not hers. But the way her yoku was reacting and the worry about leaving that Miaka-person alone told her otherwise. She flopped down on her bed and forced her eyes shut, hoping to drift into an easy sleep.

***

Miaka charged down the hall towards the room but spotted Genrou on the path and then ran in a different direction, trying to make it to the room before him. She turned a corner almost directly into Genrou and let out a loud "Ah!" before turning to run the other way.

Kouji yawned and stretched, waking from his sleep. He glanced over to where Miaka was supposed to be sleeping, but the chibi onna was nowhere to be seen.

'_Shit! Genrou's gonna kill me if I dun' find 'er fast!'_ He thought as he heard shuffling down the hallway a few moments later.

"Ah!" exclaimed a girl's voice.

It was her.

Bolting out the door, and practically almost leaping down the steps, Kouji stopped suddenly as Miaka ran right into his chest. Shuffling back a bit after taking the blow, he looked down to see Miaka's lovely face.

"What's thi' all about?" He growled, looking down at the panting girl. Kouji muttered as he crossed his arms, turning towards Miaka. "If Genrou saw this, you'd be 'n trouble, chibi onna."

Leading her back to the room, he stopped before the doorway and rubbed his temples. "Dun''cha run off lik' that anymore', k?"

Miaka dipped her head low and nodded, entering the room as if it were a punishment. "Sorry Kouji. I was curious about the new prisoners. I wanted to see what they looked like." She sighed and took a seat on Genrou's bed.

"You think everything will go back to normal once the funeral is over and everyone accepts Genrou as the leader?" She asked him curiously, lying on her stomach, across the cot.

Kouji walked over towards the window, settling against the stone wall and crossing his arms, obviously deep in thought. As Miaka settled into Genrou's cot, he sighed deeply.

"If it wer' tha' simple," He spoke finally, his gaze serious, "Then' everythin' would be all right. But it ain't tha' easy to hav' everyone accept Genrou tha' quick. This is' between me an' ya, though - Genrou has' prob'bly already realiz'd it too - tha' the oth'r bandits don't declar' loyalty jus' cause they do. It's more lik' Genrou must earn their' respect. He knows that bett'r than anyone though'."

His gaze stoic, he turned towards Miaka and faintly smiled. "Dun' worry though', Genrou wil' be' leader - it'll jus' take time."

***

Nuriko was sleeping soundly when the sound of Ju-an shuffling in the cell next door woke her right back up again.

"Ju-an?" She groaned, rubbing her head. "What are you doing?"

"I can't stay in here any longer. I need a drink." muttered the doctor.

"A drink?" Nuriko groaned, "Sorry, but I doubt the bandits are going to share their supply of sake with you."

Ju-an felt a smile creep across his face. Of course! Bandits were big drinkers and they'd have plenty of sake here in their Stronghold. Now… how to get them down here? "HELP! HELP!" He screamed.

Genrou had almost made it back to his room after helping to erect the old boss' tomb when he heard a loud bellow echo through the entire Stronghold.

"Godsdamnit! Can't a guy get some fuckin' sleep aroun' this fuckin' place!?" He growled and stalked back down the stairs, following the fading echo to the holding chambers. He found the large, used-to-be-silent man looking around the room wildly.

"What th' fuck are ya goin' on about? It's goddamned late an' I'm fuckin' tired so shut yer yap fer Suzaku's sake!" His temper snapped and exploded, his tsubasa flickered and flared to life in the face of his desperate anger. His lack of coat and rolled up sleeves were leaving his celestial mark in full view, but his anger- born of too little sleep and too much woe- shunted his attention to the side. He didn't care if the strange people in his makeshift dungeon saw it; he was too pissed.

Kourin watched the angry face of the new bandit leader. Her own frustration at being locked up quickly turned to shock as she saw the burning red mark on his arm.

"No way! A punk kid like you is a seishi!?" Standing up from her straw bed, Kourin stormed towards the edge of the bars, and tightened her hand into a fist. "No way! I refuse to believe it!"

With a mighty crash, the steel door came crashing down.

He stared in horror at the newly destroyed cell bars and the deceptively fragile woman that had brought them down with a single punch; her words echoed in his ears.

_A seishi? Oh shit…_

He quickly slapped a palm over his glowing arm, "W-what? What th' hell are ya goin' on about? What th' fuck is a godsdamned seishi?

Staring in shock and feeling her own symbol burning brightly on her chest, Kourin growled. She didn't have time for games. She could feel the presence of her fellow seishi and the girl from the other world, none of whom she was really ready to meet.

"You're hiding it!" She snapped, gesturing towards Genrou's arm angrily. "And you don't know why you have it!?"

"A'course I'm hidin' it! It's fuckin' embarassin' t'have a part a yer body light up when yer pissed, damnit!"

Stalking over, Kourin grabbed Genrou by his shirt, lifting him up a little. Using her other free hand, she pulled back a little of her own tunic, though not enough to reveal her other secret, revealing her own brightly burning symbol.

"You know what your symbol means just as well as I do my own!"

Genrou's eyes widened as he took in the glowing symbol on the young woman's chest. "Ya got one too! Holy SHIT!"

He was dumbfounded. He vaguely remembered the boss saying something about seishi's and miko's but never really gave it a second thought as he was more worried about having fun being a new recruit than about some musty old legend.

"Yer shittin' me. Th' boss said somethin' 'bout it but I really can't remember what he said... Somethin' 'bout mikos and seishi but I really couldn't give a shit back then."

Kourin did what she could to try to control her anger and dismay with Genrou. A seishi who didn't care about his duty could have left their Priestess in great danger. She tried to justify his reasons, but yet her anger kept on rising.

She meant to let him down, but her strength got away from her and she tossed the bandit, sending him flying into the wall with a sickening _crack_.

"Oh crap." Sighed Kourin as she walked over to Genrou, hoping he was somewhat all right.

Ju-an smiled. With Kourin revealing herself, he had to do the same. He lifted his glowing palm up towards the arguing pair.

"Looks like that makes three."

Anger had grown to concern, as she eyed the drunkard, Ju-an, and snapped. "Y-you're a freakin' Seishi too? Damn it to hell!"

Genrou wiped the trickle of blood from his lip and shook his head to clear the sparkles that had filled his vision. He crawled out of the Genrou-shaped hole he had made on impact with the wall and stared in fury at the little bit of fluff that had caused his impromptu flight practice.

"_B__itch_! What th' fuck was that for, ya fuckin' looney?!" He growled and lunged at the woman, tackling her to the ground. He straddled her and pinned her arms to the ground, baring his fangs and glaring down at her. "Yer sure quick t'hit a guy fer not knowin' what yer goin' on about. Ya fuckin' calm enough t'talk like a fuckin' grown up or ya gonna throw a temper tantrum like a kid?"

It was as he sat over top of Kourin trying to calm her down that he realized something was missing. Not just one thing, but two very important _female_ things were missing from Kourin's chest. He jumped back, pointing and stuttering, unable to speak.

"Y-you're a… a… a… man!"

"I'm a lady, damnit," snapped Kourin as she sat up, inches from the bandit's face. "And you don't want to mess with me."

***

Miaka could hear the yelling and the crash of the metal from up in her room with Kouji. She could hear echoes of Genrou's voice but she couldn't just go running out to him, even if she wanted to. Instead she looked to Kouji with concern in her eyes.

"What was that?"

The sound of something crashing followed by Genrou yelling alarmed Kouji so badly that he didn't even answer Miaka. He briskly walked towards the door, glancing out.

One of the younger bandits, a teen named Benkai, ran past. "Wha' goin' on?" demanded Kouji as the bewildered younger bandit glanced at him.

"Genrou got piss'd at th' prisoner an' now their fightin'!" Benkai stammered, as he hurried on ahead. "They said th' girl got the best of Genrou!"

_'Shit!'_ Thought Kouji, as he turned towards Miaka, "Come'n we gotta go help Genrou!"

Without another word, Kouji bolted towards the dungeon.

Miaka nodded and followed close behind, hoping silently that Genrou was okay. She skidded to a halt in the doorway. "What's going on?"

Her mark glowing fiercely, Kourin realized that a couple of pairs of eyes were watching her now. Turning, she saw the girl from earlier and immediately began to back down. She could feel her connection to the Miaka-girl, even if it was an unwanted one.

Ju-an sniffed and shrugged. As soon as Miaka entered the room, his palm began to glow again. She was most definitely the one. But what were the odds that Suzaku would bring him together with her and two other celestial warriors so easily?

Kouji came to a dead stop beside Miaka, looking around the room with confusion. The bars holding the woman in her cell had been completely knocked aside and Genrou was back against the wall, staring at her. The trickle of blood running down from his lip made Kouji wary of tangling with the woman himself.

The boys who brought them in had said she was a magic user. That must be the only way she could beat Genrou in a fight. Unless... He could make out the faint red glow coming from beneath the woman's dress and another on the hand of the big quiet guy. These two were like Genrou, a fact his friend was certainly not going to be too happy about.

"What's all the fightin' 'bout?"

Genrou was still staring in jaw-dropping horror at the guy that looked like a woman. "What the fuck?" he exclaimed again, pointing at the girl-guy and staring at Kouji pleadingly. "Make it make sense! Tell her that she ain't allowed to be a guy an' look like that!"

Kourin rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm a lady, no matter what my actual gender is. It makes perfect sense."

"A man?" Miaka walked over to Kourin and examined her up and down. She had long beautiful hair and a lovely face. There was only one way to tell for sure...

Miaka reached out and touched Kourin's chest.

"Fl-flat! He's right. Wow, you're the prettiest man I've ever seen!"

It was then that she noticed the red glowing mark under her dress. "Hey, you have one of those mark things! Just like Gen-chan. What is that thing, anyway?"

Genrou wasn't as pleased as Miaka seemed to be. In fact, he was even more thrown. "Leave it to a fuckin' woman to understand a cross dresser." He shivered and then figured out that, hey, this was a guy and he was straddling him! He leaped to his feet and hurried over to Kouji's side, pushing his aniki between him and the demon guy-girl. He shivered again. He'd touched a girl, err... a guy that looked like a girl. Which, in Genrou's estimation, was just as bad as touching a girl. Fuckin' women.

"Oh good gods," Nuriko sighed and slid gracefully to her feet, shaking out the wrinkles in her skirt and smoothing the bits of hay that clung to it. "Grow up. You're supposed to be a manly man. Isn't that what bandits are? Knuckle-dragging imbeciles? Just think of me as a woman, it'll make your brain hurt less."

Ju-an rose to his feet and walked over to the bars. He held his arm out, palm upturned so that his mark was visible to everyone.

"This is the mark of a celestial warrior. Anyone who bears this mark has a special power and a duty to protect our priestess. Or at least, that's the short version. We each have a name that goes with our mark, mine is Mitsukake."

He watched the bandit leader hide behind his friend and let out a small sigh. If this guy was supposed to protect Miaka, they were in trouble.

Genrou could have groaned. What was it with fucking seishi coming out of the woodwork? First he had to deal with his own body parts lighting up and then the scary woman-guy seishi and now the drunk guy was a seishi too? "Wait, wait," he sighed a hand on his hip as he stepped away from Kouji. He could deal with the drunk, it was the girl-man that freaked him out. Yeah, he might like pretty men, but the ones that looked like women were WAY out there. "Arright, seishi lookin' for miko. Yadda, yadda, yadda. The downside is we don't have a miko, right? So, you fucks can get offa my mountain and just forget ya even saw us. Right?"

Nuriko cocked her head to the side, eyeing the redhead speculatively. Either he was an idiot or he was trying very hard to play at being stupid. No seishi could be as close to their miko and not know her, could they? "You don't know?" she asked, tucking her hands into the full sleeves of her kimono. "This girl here, the one with strange clothes, is the miko, idiot!"

"Mee-ko?" Miaka repeated, confused, "No, my name is Mi-a-ka. Not Mi-ko."

Mitsukake felt his face break into a smile. A small one, yes, but significant for him. "No, no. The miko is a Priestess. A girl shows up from another world and becomes the miko for a country on the verge of destruction. She uses the help of her seven celestial warriors to summon their God and then she's granted three wishes."

He felt as though it were wrong for him to be telling her the story, but he tried his best. "If you're the Suzaku no Miko, like we think, you really should be heading for the capital. The Emperor would want to know you've arrived, right Kou- Nuriko?"

Genrou was beyond horrified. Miaka was the girl that he had been dreading meeting? How ironic was that? Not only had he already been putting himself in danger for the girl, but now he found out that she was his miko. "No, you're wrong. Miaka ain't your girl. She's just lookin' for her friend and then she's gonna go home. Not the fuckin' miko."

Nuriko sighed and shook her head. "Whatever. We are real seishi, and we know what we're talking about fang boy."

The absolute terror on Genrou's face made Miaka's heart sink a little. This miko must not be so great if he was scared of her. "Maybe he's right. I might not be the girl you're looking for. I'm just looking for my friend, Yui. You haven't seen a girl with short blonde hair wearing an outfit like mine, have you?"

Nuriko raised a brow and huffed. "Shouldn't you be worried about finding your brother as well?" she asked, scoffing at the implication that the girl was far more worried about her friend than her family. What sort of world was she from? Keisuke and Tetsuya had seemed much more normal in the brief time she had spoken to them. Aside from the obvious strange clothing and manners, of course.

"My brother? Keisuke is here!?" Miaka let out a happy shriek and then hugged the strange man-woman. "Did you hear that Gen-chan? Kouji-kun? Keisuke is here and he's safe!" She danced happily about the room, forgetting all about that miko nonsense for the time being.

"Where is he? When can I go see him?"

Genrou tried for a smile. At least something good had come out of this mess.

Nuriko smiled a little brittle grin at the hug and stepped back before she gestured carelessly with one graceful hand. "He and the other male stranger are at the palace. About a day's ride or so to the south."

"Another guy... That must be his friend Tetsuya!" Miaka looked over to Genrou and Kouji with a big silly grin on her face. "You'll like my brother. He's very smart."

"I suppose we ought ta be able ta getcha there safely. Eh, Genrou?" Kouji nudged his friend with an elbow. He was going to miss the trouble-seeking little girl... more than he initially thought. But Genrou might not be so eager to head straight towards his destiny just yet.

Brother? Why would he want to meet her brother? Genrou frowned curiously at Miaka. "Uh, right, because all brothers wanna know that their sister was with a male bandit for several days without a chaperone."

Nuriko's brows went up at that bit of information. "Alone? With a man? Oh, this is going to be hilarious. Your brother will have kittens. He doesn't seem like a very forgiving man when it comes to his little sister."

She didn't really know that, but the statement made the bandit sweat a little bit, so all was well with Nuriko's world.

"Huh?" Miaka blinked, "What's so bad about being alone with you, Gen-chan? You've been a perfect gentleman the whole time... more or less."

Mitsukake let out a small laugh, then tried to contain it, making a chortling noise. "That might be worse for his reputation."

Kouji cocked an eyebrow and glanced at the tiny beads of sweat forming on Genrou's brow. "More or less?"

"Hey, it was kiss her or let the damn slavers think that she was fair game. An' I wouldn't a seen her nekkid if the baka had had the sense to bolt the fuckin' bathhouse door! It ain't my fault that she got me all pissy before stormin' off in there!" Genrou defended himself, though from the look that Kouji was giving him, it wasn't helping his case at all. "Fuck you, Aniki. Stop lookin' at me like that."

Nuriko was almost bouncing in glee. Already she had no love for the idiot redhead for the simple fact that he had taken the news of her biological gender so badly, but this was the red bean paste in her bread. "Keisuke-san is going to love this."

Miaka looked around the group, not really understanding what was going on. Everyone (except Genrou, who seemed to just get more and more red) was laughing but she didn't get the joke.

"I don't think Keisuke will care. You kept me safe. He'll be glad!" She smiled a slightly sad smile. "And then he can keep an eye on me and I'll be out of your hair."

She hadn't thought initially that she'd be sad to say goodbye to the cheeky bandit, but after all she'd experienced by his side it wouldn't be so easy for her to go.

Kouji and Genrou shared a look at Miaka's statement, both thinking the same thing. "Yeah, right," they said together, twin expressions of disbelief on their faces.

Oh, what an innocent girl. If Miaka truly believed that her brother wouldn't have an aneurism at the very idea that his sister was alone with a male bandit for an extended period of time, then she was really sheltered. "Oh, I think that your brother will have plenty to say to our Gen-chan here about this." Nuriko smirked and then waved away further commentary. It was going in circles anyway. "But, rather than speculate on what will be done or said when your brother finds out, Miaka, I think that we should all get some sleep. Genrou, I'm assuming will provide better lodgings than this cell to his fellow seishi?"

Mitsukake perked up immediately at the idea of a better place to sleep. "Yeah," he added, eagerly, "And perhaps a glass of sake? You know, a nightcap?"

Genrou frowned. Since when was it his job to give out bed assignments? Oh, when the boss died. Right. Fuck. "Arright, fine. Kouji, would ya get the," he stopped to shiver, "lady and his drunken friend a place to sleep for the night? I'm gonna put Mi-chan in my room. I don't like the way the guys were eyein' her earlier."

Kouji rolled his eyes. It was just like Genrou to pass off the work to someone else. Then again, that was what the boss had done as well. Genrou was the boss now, so he couldn't bitch about it too much. "Arright Lady Man an' drunk guy, we'll find ya rooms. But I don't think that ya need no more sake, buddy. I c'n smell ya from here."

Miaka waved goodbye to the pair of 'celestial warriors' as Genrou led her from the room back to his own. She was absolutely thrilled that she was able to find her brother and Tetsuya, but Yui was still out there somewhere... lost and alone.

"You just watch. You're going to miss me once I'm gone. I can tell. I have a sixth sense about these things!" She made spooky little 'oooo' noises and wiggled her fingers, then giggled.

The fact that Miaka was the miko and making a joke about extra senses did not put Genrou at ease. Instead, it made him more tense. "Yeah, I know. I uh, love gettin' scared to death because the little girl under my care is always in trouble. Lots to miss there, Mi-chan," he joked, trying to ignore the chill that went down his back. Something told him that he **would** be missing her when she was gone. And that little voice had better shut up. Sure, he liked Miaka all right, she was only mostly insane instead of all the way crazy like other women, but she had a way of looking at the world through eyes that were completely devoid of cynicism and taint. From the short time he'd known her, he already decided that she was probably the only total innocent he had ever met other than small kids. It was refreshing in a scary way. Women weren't supposed to make him all mushy like she did. He hated women! Miaka was... well, she was just Miaka.

She crossed her arms, trying to look stern, but mostly failing. "I'm not just a little girl. And besides, without me around getting into trouble you'll end up without anything to do. Then you'll get fat and lazy and you'll just sit on your throne, ordering the bandits about, thinking back on all the good times you had while I was here."

She nudged him with her hip as they neared the bedroom door. "I'll miss you though. When I get home I'll tell everybody about the amazing Gen-chan! Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than super spicy kim-chee! You're like a superhero."

"Suupa heero? Bull-et? What the fuck is that?" Genrou asked, trying to decide if she had just insulted him or not.

"A superhero is someone who saves people from bad guys. They usually have special powers like flight or super strength or speed. I've always wanted to be a superhero."

She pushed open the bedroom door and flopped down on the cot by Genrou's. She let out a loud and exhausted yawn. "My brother is in a palace. I'm in a bandit stronghold. I wonder where Yui-chan is?"

Genrou patted her on the head and then lay down on his own bed. His mind was reeling with everything that had happened and he was still utterly terrified that sweet little Mi-chan might really be the miko he'd spent his whole life hoping would never show up.

"I dunno, chibi onna, but I do know is that yer gonna get t'yer palace safe 'n soun'."

***

Kouji sat outside in his night-watch post, stewing over the two 'visitors' they'd received. If it weren't bad enough that the lady boy had demanded to switch rooms four different times, he/she then threw a fit over having to share a room with the big one.

"A lady can't share a room with a man my arse." He grumbled to himself, high up in his tree.

Trying to put the warriors out of his mind, Kouji turned to look up at the moon. Unfortunately, the pale light turned his thoughts to Miaka instead. In the morning, she'd be leaving the mountain forever. For whatever reason, he didn't want to let her go. She was pretty and soft and gentle; everything a girl should be as far as he was concerned. Genrou wasn't into girls anyway, so maybe there was a chance Miaka would be interested in him and his buddy wouldn't mind?

Kouji pulled at his deep blue hair in frustration.

"Mebbe," he said to the moon, "If I jus' getta look at 'er I'll know. I'll know if'n I'm jus' talkin' crazy. She's leavin' so it ain't like nothin' will happen anyways."

After jumping down out of the tree, he headed straight towards to Stronghold. Miaka's face was all he could see and that wasn't good for patrolling. Nope, no sir. Time to see her and get it all out of his system.

He poked open the door to the bedroom with a quiet tap, trying not to disturb Genrou or Miaka if they were sleeping. He crept up beside Miaka's bed and sat down on the edge, looking at her innocent face in the moonlight. His heart skipped a beat.

_Dammit… _

He loved Genrou like a brother, a friend, and his leader. He also liked Miaka, though if Genrou did ask he would flat out deny it. Kouji was frightened that if he liked this girl, Genrou would be madder than hell. He wanted nothing to come between their friendship, including her.

But…

His eyes glanced back at Miaka lying in bed, chewing on her blanket. Why did he like the chibi onna? What was it about her? Kouji lay down beside her on the cot, watching her sleep and trying to get his thoughts together.

As she shifted through dreams, Miaka's left leg crept over Kouji's and the top of her foot hooked on the other leg, holding him close. She nestled her face into the soft area of Kouji's neck, warm breath sweeping across his skin.

Kouji was almost ready to jump back up and head out to his spot on the watch when he felt Miaka shift, her legs wrapping over his own, her breath rolling over the nape of his neck. It was hard to control his own feelings for her, to control his sudden and unexpected inner most desires.

He couldn't help it.

He pulled her closer, twisting his neck just so and nuzzling her, burying himself into her own neck, inhaling her scent. Pulling back he watched her in her sleep, her gentle breathing. He nudged her once, then twice, hoping to wake her gently.

"Miaka..." he whispered hoarsely, trying to control his feelings. "Can 'ya shift a lil' over... yer errr..."

Miaka had slipped further into her sleep and moaned softly as he shoved her gently. The problem now was that she had scooted closer. Her pelvis and abdomen pressed tightly to his side, her head tucked in the same place, her leg pulled him in closer. She turned her head and now her lips sat so close that they brushed his skin as she breathed. She moaned in her sleep again as she clamped onto him.

Kouji couldn't take it anymore. Her lips were so close it was as though she were practically teasing him. Growling, he stroked her hair, feeling his heart pounding. He tried to control the growing feelings in his body and mind as he caressed her back, tracing her spine gently.

_Come on Kouji! Get it together!_

Miaka mumbled softly and readjusted, feeling a tickle on her back. She arched her back as she tried to get away from the source, lifted her hand to her hair and scratched her scalp, and then ran her fingertips through her hair and down her neck, letting it settle on the middle of his chest.

The intoxication of her scent and the fact she was practically hooked onto him, didn't help much. He just couldn't help it anymore.

Gently, he tilted her head up, leaned his head down, and then kissed her, caressing her cheek.

Miaka stirred in her sleep and blinked heavily as she opened her eyes to find Kouji, caressing her cheek and his lips lightly to hers.

She went wide-eyed and gasped, backing her lips away from his about an inch, then two. "Kouji?!?!" She whispered loudly. Was she really awake? "Wha- wha-??" She couldn't finish a single word of what she was planning to ask.

His eyes went wide with surprise, the feeling swelling deep within him subsiding slightly. Her reaction left disappointment in its place. Backing away, Kouji started to sit up, the impact of what he had just done seeping into his mind.

"Oh shit..." He said, looking away. "I didn' mean to do tha'... Gomen."

He quickly climbed out of the cot, rubbing his head profusely, trying to ignore the dizziness. Without a word more between them, he shuffled out of the room and ran from the room, back to his watch post.

Miaka sat up to watch him go but still couldn't make out if she was in a dream or not. She rubbed at her eyes sleepily, then plopped back down and into a deep sleep.

***

Kouji spent the rest of the night in his tree, berating himself for kissing Miaka. He'd wanted to avoid her and just let her go, but the feelings he was having for her wouldn't let that happen. Not without at least knowing nothing was ever actually going to happen between them.

When the sun finally poked its face above it's horizon blanket, replacements came and Kouji was free to find out for sure Miaka might have feelings for him.

With that in mind, Kouji made his way for the kitchens first, grabbing a huge bowl and filling it with poached eggs, bacon, and some fruit. He grabbed a couple pieces of silverware, and turned towards the hallway, only to bump into a couple of the other bandits.

"What's goin' on?"

Neither bandit spoke. They stood their ground, unmoving and glowering at him. Finally, a tall skinny bandit spoke up. "Kouji, we heard that Genrou an' you will be leavin' with th'onna to th'capital..."

"Who th' hell said that?" asked Kouji, his face turning serious. "I ain't gonna leave ya that quick! Hell-"

"If ya do leave, who will be th' boss?" The bandit pressed as the other nodded aggressively.

Kouji wanted to smack them both for acting without respect for him an' Genrou, their superiors. "I said I won't leave," he snapped, frowning. "Genrou is th'boss an'..."

The fat bandit from before was approaching from behind as the other two had Kouji distracted, armed with a rag drenched with a sleeping drug. During the night, while Kouji's post sat empty, he had snuck back into the Stronghold with the help of his friends. Grinning deviously he tackled Kouji from behind, gagging him with the rag.

The bowl of food fell to the ground and shattered.

Kouji struggled against his unseen attacker, but it was no use. He felt a wave of nausea before fading to unconsciousness. The last thing he saw was the bandits smirking deviously at him.

"What should we do with 'im?" asked one of the bandits.

"Take 'im to the secret cave," Eiken snapped. "We'll use 'im against Genrou, but we won't strike until after the funeral, boys!"

***

Genrou rolled over and stared at the wall. It was too fucking early but he knew that today, of all days, he could not sleep late. He sat up with a yawn and stretched, working the kinks out of his tired back and neck before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and getting to his feet.

He snatched up his best tunic, a clean pair of black pants and his best set of boots and made his way out of his room to the bathing chamber.

After washing and dressing he made returned to the room to wake Miaka. When he poked his head in and saw Miaka getting up, he grinned and glanced around to see if Kouji had stopped by yet. "Mornin' Chibi Onna. No sign of Kouji yet?"

Miaka blinked her eyes heavily and rubbed at her face. Had Genrou seen Kouji kiss her last night!? Was it really not a dream? "N-no! Wh-why would I know where he is anyway?" she stammered.

He stepped into the room and walked over to the trunk, digging inside for a decent set of clothes for her to wear to the funeral. Standing up with his prize clutched to his chest, he grinned at the girl and handed over a blouse-y white shirt, a pair of blue pants and a bandanna, along with a set of stockings and boots. As an after thought, he grabbed a forest green vest that Kouji had complained no longer fit him.

He thrust the items at Miaka and left the room to give her some privacy, waiting just outside the closed door with his back pressed firmly against it.

She set the new clothes down on the small wooden chair at the door and looked around before removing her current clothing and redressing. She tucked the shirt into the pants waistline and buttoned it up. She actually liked how the clothes were a bit too big for her. They were too small for Kouji…

_Kouji, why did you kiss me?_

She knew she could count on Kouji to be loyal to her and keep her safe, but she didn't know how she felt about him. Miaka brushed out her hair with the bone comb sitting on the nightstand and then went to work putting her hair up in its usual buns. She tied the red silk ribbons into her hair as a finishing touch before opening the door. She turned the knob slowly and opened the door, looking at Genrou's back. She came up behind him and gave him a tight hug. "Thank you so much for everything. I don't know where I'd be if you hadn't helped me."

He jumped a bit when he felt her arms slide around his hips but relaxed when she spoke.Genrou grinned and turned in her arms, hugging her back. "S'arright Mi-chan, me an' Kouji'll always be here fer ya." He stroked her back to comfort her until she got her emotions under control. "Dun be sad, Mi-chan." His grin turned teasing, "Otherwise I'll get Kouji t'kiss ya an' make ya's all better!"

"I… er…" Her face flushed hot and her eyebrow twitched. "It isn't like that. I met Kouji only the other day!"

" I was just yankin' ya! Jeeze!" He rubbed his jaw and frowned, confused by her strong reaction to his little joke.

He slipped an arm over her shoulders and led her down the hall, grabbing a few pieces of fruit from the kitchen and giving them to her to eat on the way, and led her outside to the waiting group of bandits. Miaka devoured the fruit so quickly he couldn't see her jaw move.

"Let's get this thin' done. Boss is waitin'! Let's not hesitate!"

The monk that had been called to the mountain that morning to perform the ceremony droned on in a soft chant as they laid their beloved leader to rest.

_Where th' fuck is Kouji? He was a'posen t'be here... damnit! What could he a got himself into now?_

Miaka looked around for Kouji but didn't see him anywhere. "Where's Kouji!?" she whispered and looked up at Genrou with concern. "I'm sure he was planning on being here."

The funeral monologue slowed and stopped. Genrou and a few of the boss' old friends lifted his casket and carried it out to the newly erected tomb.

Genrou was torn between his grief for the boss and his worry over Kouji's absence when finally worry overcame despair. Kouji was still alive and could be helped, boss was dead. It was simple as that.

He glanced around at the congregated bandits and noticed that quite a few of the new guys were missing, as well as a couple of the older ones.

_Somethin' ain't right…_

***

Kouji could make out the sound of voices, low over the din of a crackling fire. Groaning, he felt a sharp pain shoot through his now broken arm and groaned. It was twisted behind his back at a very sharp angle, tied to his other arm. His legs were tied as well, chained with cold metal.

His eyes fluttered open and he looked around slowly, trying to discover where the hell he was. The damp moldy smell told him that he and his capturers were in a cave... but this was a cave that Kouji had never been in before. He could smell the wooded area of the mountain, but something seemed different.

"Look!" snapped one of the bandits, sitting up from the fire and walking over to kick Kouji in the ribs, "The wannabe leader is awake."

Kouji winced as the boot made contact with his ribs. He gasped for breath and then looked up at the guy. It was one of the bandits he'd run into in the kitchen, which was when…

_Oh shit… _

The bandit grinned and kicked him in the gut several more times for fun.

"Stop that ya baka!" He growled, "I'm a bandit, not a dog!!"

_Come on, Genrou! Figure out what's goin' on!_

The bandits dragged Kouji closer to the fire. He tried to catch one of them with his flailing feet but it was no use.

"Hold still!" snarled one of the bandits, as they tossed him in the dirt next to the fire. "Our Boss wants t'see ya."

Eiken, the man who had tried to assault Miaka earlier, approached from the darkness of the cave, his features dancing with the firelight. Kouji recognized him immediately and struggled to try to get free.

"Ya know what we do to scum like ya?"

"I have no idea."

"This!" Pulling out a sword, the fat bandit stabbed it down into the ground next to Kouji's face and snickered. "Damn. I missed."

The blade brushed against his cheek and the metal felt cool against Kouji's skin. "Don't mess with Genrou," he growled, "Or yer gonna regret it."

The men stared at him for a moment, before they all burst out laughing,

"You don't get it, do ya?" Eiken grinned as he pulled the sword out of the dirt. "I joined up with the Kahou bandits and my men are set to attack. Your new leader has no clue. He won't be able to do a damned thing since he ain't gonna see it comin'"

***

They called themselves the Mt. Kahou Bandits and they were a totally different breed from those of Mt. Reikaku - more aggressive and nasty tempered. The plan had been put into action, as they had decided to enact revenge against their rivals, the Mt. Reikaku Bandits, by taking control of their stronghold and seizing the Tessen - the ultimate controlling force behind Genrou, Kouji, an their followers.

Dressed in bandit garb, they had tied a simplistic blue ribbon to their arms, to separate them from their enemy, and to avoid utter confusion in the ambush. They only had a moment to act; they would be using the Reikaku bandits moment of weakness with the loss of a leader, to attack.

The ambushers were led by a man clothed in a dark green cloak, drawn up around his shoulders, cloaking his features with a long flowing hood. He had been one of the Mt. Kahou's most trusted men - a rouge of sorts. As he motioned to his men to surround the tomb in a layered arc, he unsheathed a long sword from its hilt and nodded for his bandits to wait for the word.

Mischai was the name he preferred to go by, his own true name shrouded in mystery, since joining the bandits at an early age. He approached in a graceful manner, catching sight of the girl his men had mentioned; the one that seemed to be someone of value to Genrou, the new boss. As he approached the procession, he also caught sight of the red head, Genrou, and met eyes. Smirking, he walked over towards the girl from behind, pulling out the long sword the whole way while briskly grabbing a hold of her arm, yanking her up and over towards him.

The monk halted his chanting and the woods grew silent with the tension, only a whisper here and there from Genrou's group. Glancing down at the girl, he couldn't understand why a girl was running so freely among his rival's 'hold.

"Sorry to interrupt this touching ceremony. Genrou, I was sent by Mt. Kahou with a warnin' fer ya. We got yer buddy, Kouji."

He threw Miaka to the ground and pressed the tip of his sword against her neck. "I would kill the bitch here," he said, smirking even more, "But that wouldn't help us in our negotiations."

Genrou lunged forward to help Miaka but the blade was pressed harder against Miaka's throat and she let out a small cry that stopped him. He growled low, "What do ya want?"

He used his free hand to pull out a scroll, reading it to the shocked and angry audience.

"We, th' Mt. Kahou Bandits, have yer comrade, Kouji. Ya want 'im back _alive_ ya must offer us the followin':

(i) The ownership of these lands an' the surrounding turf of Mt. Reikaku.

(ii) The tessen."

He dropped the doctrine next to Miaka, then sheathed his sword, turning away slightly. "You've got a couple hours," he smiled evilly, winking at Miaka, "Before yer buddy gets to feel the consequences of takin' yer time.'

Signaling to his men, who flanked him immediately for protection, Mischai walked off into the woods, disappearing from sight.

_Shit._

Genrou's body untensed and he helped the Chibi Onna to her feet then snagged the scroll, looking it over and frowning all the while.

He read it three times before snarling and tucking it into his coat. He hated having to decide which was more important. Kouji was his aniki, the one friend he'd had that he could trust with his darkest secrets and who had been there for him in the worst of times. But what about the Stronghold? He had promised when he was first accepted as leader-to-be that he would protect this mountain with his life. The tessen couldn't really be used by anyone who didn't know the incantation, but with as drafty as the Stronghold was, there was no telling who may have overheard Kashira telling him and Kouji the incantation.

He snapped orders at the men to prepare to head out; no matter what promises he had made about keeping the mountain safe from evil clutches, he could not let Kouji die. He was far too important.

Genrou looked over at Miaka and sighed. He'd have to keep her with him at all times if he was going to protect her and he had a few people to chat with this morning... Those Suzaku Seishi might be part of this mess or they might have just showed up at the wrong time.

"C'mon, Mi-chan. Let's go talk t'th' lady-boy an' the big guy. Find out what they know."

He led her inside and down the hall to the room Kouji had given them and peeked inside. It seemed as though his 'guests' were still sleeping.

"Wake up. Answer some fuckin' questions an' I might let yas leave alive if'n ya answer them ri-" He stopped.

An idea formed in his mind, _'Th' little guy's real strong... wonder if'n he c'd bend a bit a iron er steel an' make a false tessen? That would make thin's easier an' I wouldn' hafta worry 'bout nobody knowin' th' incantation! Damn! I'm a fuckin' genius! If'n they ain't part a this cluster fuck I'll see if'n he'd do it. Th' mountain c'n be taken back after we gather th' loyal an' Chibi Onna's safely away from 'ere. Woohoo!'_

"Oi, wake up! Please wake up. I really gotta ask ya some questions!"

He was excited now, he had a plan that could work as long as this skinny little guy could help.

He just _had_ to help!

Nuriko sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to hold on to the delightful dream he had just been having where the Emperor had picked him to be Empress.

"I'm awake," she groan, groggily. "What do you want?"

Something was amiss.

Genrou ground his teeth in frustration; he needed this guy's help.

He took a deep breath, "Do ya's got anythin' t'do with Kouji goin' missin'? I'm just askin as a formality, I c'n almost bet ya's got nothin' t'do with them bastards but I gotta be sure."

Nuriko's eyes narrowed. "Kouji's missing? Hmmm. You know, now that you mention it, before I fell asleep last night some bandit was walking through the halls, muttering. He was bitching about something to do with Kouji. He said that 'Kouji was gonna get it for good' when some Kahou group takes over."

Ju-an sat up and nodded his agreement. "That's right. He mentioned some cavern on the south side of the mountain too..."

Genrou's eyes went wide and he stared at the abrupt change in attitude (did one night of sleep really make such a difference?) before the words fully registered. But the small purple haired man spoke more.

His head whipped back towards the big guy. "A cavern ya say?" His brow furrowed and he stepped closer, dropping his voice to a whisper. "Ya think ya c'n do me a favor? I need a fan made outta iron er steel t'make m'plan work, an' yer th' only one what I know c'n do it without takin' ferever an' lettin' half th' 'Hold know about it. Will ya's help me? We can go t'th' capital after Kouji's safe again."

Nuriko nodded. "A fan? Like the fan you had strapped to your back earlier?" he asked, then smiled. "Sure. Hell, I can even help you if you need some manpower to get your friend back. We are 'brothers' after all."

"I'll gladly assist you with any medical problems on the battlefield," Mitsukake said as he stood and stretched.

Genrou pulled some scrap metal out of a chest of drawers in the room and handed it over to Nuriko. He looked over the roughly cut steel and then examined the fan on Genrou's back, wanting to get the shape just right. Immediately he set to work, twisting the metal just so.

"Will this work?" He held up the handcrafted tessen replica for inspection.

"Thanks Nuriko. That's perfect. Me an' Mi-chan are real grateful. This is a big help." He hefted the make shift tessen back and forth between his hands and tested its weight. It seemed almost right, but someone who had never held the tessen before wouldn't know the difference.

Genrou was in the midst of working out some hastily made plans with Nuriko when an old bandit staggered up to him. He almost missed the man in the bustle and noise but his shout caught everyone's attention.

"Group 'a bandits on th' path! Genrou! They're here!"

Everything went still and all eyes turned to Genrou, "Ya know what t'do. Get fuckin' to it. Nuriko, take Miaka and go to it. You'll keep 'er safe. Mitsukake, I need ya here wit' me. Yer a strappin' guy, ya c'n handle it."

People moved to their places, and all was silent.

Reikaku was going to win this... one way or another.

***

Kouji lay prostrate on the floor, unable to move or fight, but he could hear the Kahou Bandits speaking near him.

"I say we cut off a couple fingers and send 'em as a warnin'!" One of the men suggested. "Oi! He's awake!"

"Good," snapped Eiken from across the fire pit, sitting on a pile of clothing. "When Mischai returns, then we'll have some fun."

Kouji sighed. He had missed the funeral and that was unforgivable, but he couldn't help it. Hell! He was tied up in some murky cave in the middle of the mountain. He knew from the get go that he was being used like some onna as bait for Genrou and that pissed him off more than anything. The feeling of helplessness was overwhelming.

A cloaked man swooped through the pale darkness, surrounded by a bunch of Kahou bandits armed to the teeth. The mysterious man's eyes were cold and gray, his gaze unwavering. He looked down at Kouji and smirked, motioning to the fat bandit and then whispering something into his ear.

Eiken tried to argue but gave up and solemnly nodded, motioning to the bandits near Kouji to untie their hostage. Kouji remained quiet, not trusting that anything good was about to happen.

_'Is this guy rescuin' me or somethin'?'_ He thought as he cursed as his broken arm was untwisted. _'Nah... that guy looks like pure evil.'_

Testing his good arm before relying on it to brace him, Kouji sat up. "Who the hell are ya?" He demanded, struggling to stand. "What the hell do ya want with me?"

The strange man's expression remained stoic. "We need yer cooperation, Kouji." The man pulled out an armband like the other bandits wore, toying with it. "If ya refuse, you'll never see the girl again."

Staring intently at the man, Kouji's mind was racing. Did they really have Miaka? What did they want him to do? How did they know that he liked her anyway (Answer: he talks in his sleep)? Gritting his teeth, he answered.

"What do ya want me t'do?" he asked, watching the men.

"We need ya to lead the take over of the 'hold." Mischai held out the blue ribbon. "Wear this and take 40 of my men to do the task. If you flee, I will hunt you down and kill you. After I kill your buddy Genrou, your men, and the girl."

Kouji stared coldly at the ribbon, his mind in utter chaos. He could do it, and save Genrou and Miaka? Would it save more lives if, once he got to the Stronghold, he got the men to surrender?

Closing his eyes, Kouji took the ribbon and tied it on his arm like the other bandits.

_Dammit... what am I doing?_

***

As they fought through the undergrowth towards the 'hold, Kouji gritted his teeth.

_Genrou's gonna kill me fer this one. I gotta come up with a plan._

He and the Kahou bandit neared a pair of tall gates: the entrance to the Stronghold. As the bandits under his command looked up at the impressive blockade, Kouji's eyes caught the shocked glances of several of the Mt. Reikaku bandits he had worked with. He looked at his feet, his heart filled with shame.

It was then he saw Genrou.

_I gotta get 'im to surrender, for everyone's sake, including Miaka's._

Genrou's eyes widened for a moment then narrowed at his friend.

_No, not Kouji... Fuck! I woulda never pegged him fer a traitor. He set me up! Th' bastard!_

His scowl darkened and he set his teeth. He would worry about Kouji later. Now he had to listen to the terms.

"What th' fuck do ya want, ya traitor? Wanna fuck around some more an' stab yer friends in th' back? Ya get a good laugh at me? Huh? Bastard!" He stepped forward and punched his friend in the face.

He was hurt by the betrayal. He thought he could trust Kouji...

_Never again! I ain't trustin' no fuckin' body ever again!_

Staggering back a bit, Kouji felt the sting worse in his heart than the actual physical punch. Using his good arm to rub at his stinging cheek, he looked up at Genrou from under heavy lashes, shame all over his face.

"Genrou, this isn't what you think! Listen to me!" He said quietly, approaching his friend. "Ya gotta surrender!"

"Che! As if I'd fuckin' believe a traitor! What? If'n I surrender ya'll only chop me int' pieces? Ya'll let Mi-chan an' Nuriko escape? Well, fuck you! I was plannin' on goin' t'rescue you but ya don't need that..." he trailed off, his voice becoming soft and pain filled. "If'n ya wanted t'be leader this bad, I woulda given it to ya. I thought ya were my brother..." He grabbed Kouji's shirt front and pulled him close. "Explain. I'm giving you one chance to make me believe you. If I don't I will have no choice but to kill you where you stand."

His eyes darkened and his frown was more pronounced, but the sound of his voice without his customary accent had driven more than one man to piss themselves and now that same evil glare and painfully cultured voice were directed at Kouji.

He wanted to tell the truth. But he couldn't just up and announce 'they're forcing me to do this' without the risk of harm to everyone in the Stronghold and himself. But with that look and voice, Genrou would kill him anyway. He had to do something…

He pushed Genrou's arm away and embraced his most valuable friend, then whispered, keeping his gaze focused straight ahead.

"I'm not doin' this to betray ya, Genrou. They said they'd kill everyone if I didn't cooperate. They'd kill Miaka and then they'd kill you too..."

Genrou growled and closed his eyes. He wanted to believe... he wanted to believe _so bad!_ But he wasn't sure...

He opened his eyes and looked into Kouji's eyes meaningfully, searching for any hint of deception. Finding none, he nodded slightly and backed away.

"We give up." He said to Kouji with a quick wink. "Pack up men! Git yer fuckin' carcasses outta here!"

"Kouji, we're waitin' fer ya at th' foot a greatness..."

Kouji turned and rejoined the men that had followed him. "They met the terms. Lets head back to the cavern!" he ordered.

'_I've got to get away from these guys, if I can...'_ He thought as they headed back down the mountain, shifting to the east.

"Good work."

A voice behind him snapped Kouji back to attention. It was Eiken, signaling to the men Kouji was no longer commanding. "I've got a message from our leader."

The sound of weapons being drawn, metal clinking and leather snapping, echoed through the trees.

"Since you got them to surrender, you're of no more use to us. Get him men!"

Genrou had taken the chance of getting Kouji back but he still had a small doubt about if he were really on his side. So he followed the Kahou bandits as they made their way east. He stayed back a good ways, just watching, but once the other bandits surrounded Kouji he knew he had to move in.

As the first battle cry was heard echoing through the trees, Genrou bore down on the free-for-all like an avenging angel, tessen in hand as he batted bandits away from Kouji's flank.

"Need a bit a help, na aniki?" he grinned as he put his back to Kouji's and the two fought off their attackers.

When the last of the bandits fell, a rider in a dark cloak bore down on them. Thinking quickly, Genrou pushed Kouji out of the way and stood his ground to take the assault.

_'My turn, aniki'_

"What are ya waitin' for?" shouted Kouji. "**Use** the damn thing!"

Before Genrou could act, the cloaked man pulled out a small smoke bomb and tossed it in their direction, then charged them.

"Ah shit!" Kouji coughed. The smoke was thick, black, and it made his eyes sting.

There was the sound of a skirmish and of the rider retreating, but when the smoke cleared…

Genrou was gone.

Kouji stumbled, his vision still compromised from the smoke, and he tried to make his way through the woods.

"Genrou!" He shouted, with no response. "Genrou!"

He cradled his injured arm, taking slow and steady steps along the rocky path. "I gotta get help. I hope Miaka's okay."

***

His plan had worked.

Using the smoke bomb to blind the Mt Reikaku leader and his second in command, Mischai had launched into the fray, managing to knock Genrou unconscious and then pulled him onto the horse.

He took the red headed bandit to the secret cavern, dismounted his horse and dragged Genrou a fair distance into the cave, before having one of the lesser bandits bind his feet and wrists.

With his captive unconscious, he was able to easily remove the tessen from the holster on Genrou's back. He studied it with a smirk as he unfastened his cloak, revealing the battle armor underneath. Settling down on a stool by the fire, Mischai waited for the bandit to wake.

_Once I have the incantation to use this scrap of metal, I will have complete power. I'll start with the Mountains and then I'll take over the whole country by force!_

Genrou groaned aloud as he came to. His head ached and he tried to lift a hand to rub the back of his neck to work away the pain but found he couldn't. He was tied up. Hands and feet bound and laying on a rocky surface, face down. He rolled to try and get a look at his surroundings but his head spun and he groaned again.

"Fuck..."

Mischai smirked playfully at his hostage. "You're awake." He spoke softly, poking at the fire with a stick. He then stood up and paced over to where Genrou lay and crouched down beside him.

"I need something from you, and you're going to give it to me or face the consequences for disobedience."

Genrou growled at the man standing over him; he wasn't about to give this fiend what he wanted. He spat in the general direction of the man's face, grinning as spittle rolled down the man's cheek. "Fuck you."

Mischai grabbed the bandit by the hair, pulled him up, and tossed him into the wall. Before Genrou could recover, Mischai thrust his boot into Genrou, kicking him in the ribs with a sickening CRACK.

As Genrou fell back, two of Mischai's minions grabbed him, holding him up.

"You know what we do to those who don't cooperate?" Mischai asked as he wiped the spittle from his cheek with his cloak. "We start breaking things."

He motioned to his minions who turned Genrou around and held out his hands. Taking a wooden mallet from a pile of tools in the corner, he thrust Genrou's hand against the cave wall and swung. The cave echoed with the sound of the blow and shattered bone.

"Now, I will ask you for your help again and if you refuse we will continue." He tossed the mallet down on the ground.

"Give us the spell. Now."

Genrou grit his teeth against a cry as he felt his hand shatter. The pain was terrible but he could not give them what they wanted. It wouldn't work anyway. The tessen he had was the fake that Nuriko had made, but he wasn't about to tell them that.

"N-never! Fuck you!"

"You've got some nerve." Mischai picked up the mallet again, twirling it in his grip. "You'll pay for it with your life."

He handed the mallet off to one of the bandits holding Genrou up, then grabbed a bo-staff from the wall and swung it full force into Genrou's back. He swung over and over before hitting him a final time in the head, causing the staff to splinter.

Genrou cried out as the staff crashed into his lower back, beating against his kidneys and causing a lot of pain. He groaned as the staff cracked against the back of his head but held onto consciousness by sheer will alone.

He was dazed as the bandits that held him turned him to face the wall and stretched his arms out to the side.

"Are you willing to tell me what I want to know **now**?" Genrou shook his head 'no' and Mischai lost his composure. "Tell me fucking NOW, damnit! I'm not going to quit until you tell me what I want to fucking know!"

"N-no..." Genrou gasped in a breath and hardened his resolve. "Ya ain't never gonna... know it... I'll take it t'my g-gra-grave."

Mischai let out a long sigh of disappointment, then pulled out one of his favorite tools of torture - a whip. Cracking it, he smirked as it seared across the bandit leader's back, causing him to tense up then relax.

For what felt like forever, he sent the whip flying across Genrou's body. Again and again, unrelenting. After almost an hour he was still going strong.

"That was number 54." He said to a now unconscious Genrou, whose breathing had become labored. Broken ribs, a shattered hand, a ripped up back, and a bump on the head, Genrou was weakening, but not fast enough.

"My arm is getting sore. Gag him, toss him in the woods. He won't be able to survive a night out there. We'll do some digging at their Stronghold. I'm sure someone will talk."

When next Genrou woke he found himself surrounded by trees and could hear flies buzzing around his back.

He _really_ didn't want to be awake right then; his back was on fire and his right hand throbbed in agony as the cords around his wrists dug into the skin and his hip lay on top of his broken hand. It seemed he had been dumped on the road side, for he could see a path leading somewhere off to his left.

It was getting dark and he didn't think he'd make it to the road without the use of his arms and legs.

He was going to die.

_I really hope yer safe aniki... Mi-chan, I'm sorry I can't take ya's t'yer brother... I tried._

***

Nuriko rode as fast as she could to get Miaka out of harms way before she could return to help with the battle. All the while, Miaka's mind was racing. Would Genrou's plan really get Kouji back in one piece? Would Genrou, Mitsukake, and Kouji all be okay? What the hell did that kiss mean!?

_I can't just run away like this!_

"Nuriko! Stop!" she exclaimed, tugging on the man's dress. "Turn the horse around. We can't just flee like this! We need to help them."

Nuriko stopped the horse and gave her an unwilling smile. "You've got a bad feeling about this too? A girl after my own heart."

He turned the horse back the way they'd come, galloping uphill. "Something doesn't seem right about this!"

When they reached the Stronghold again, Miaka looked around but saw… no one. It was empty. Wasn't there supposed to be a battle happening here?

"Maybe they won just that quickly!" Miaka cried cheerfully. "That means we should go to the nearest town after all, just like in the plan."

Suddenly and unexpectedly, Miaka felt a sharp pain strike her across the back. When she turned to look, there was nothing there. But then there was another strike, and another! "Nuriko! Something's wrong. We've got to find Gen-chan!"

Her sides and back seared with pain for some unknown reason. She squinted her eyes and her face contorted. "I can feel…" She paused, not liking the terrible feeling but not sure what it was. "The stronghold was empty. Maybe Gen-chan and Kouji have both been captured. We need to find them!" She rubbed her cheek and looked down.

_Genrou... Kouji... Where are you two? What's going on!?_

Miaka felt another sharp slice across her back and she stumbled. She grabbed a hold of Nuriko tightly. Could he feel it to? He had a symbol like Genrou so maybe they were connected. Not that it explained why Miaka would feel Genrou's pain…

Nuriko could feel it too. Feelings of pain throbbed throughout his body. He pulled Miaka back up onto the horse to go. Gripping the reins tightly, he closed his eyes for a second, trying to will the pain away.

"We have to protect you and the Tessen first. I made a promise to Genrou and I'm not going to get us captured as well. Besides, they're bandits! They'll be okay out there, right?"

Nuriko wanted to help Genrou, but now wasn't the time. He had to get Miaka to the Inn that Genrou had specified first. They all had a role to play. Mitsukake was supposed to play doctor during the battle, then head to town with everyone else. But if they couldn't sense him in any pain, things might not be so bad overall. He could watch Miaka and then Nuriko would be free to help the silly bandits.

Miaka frowned and furrowed her eyebrows. "No!" She hopped down from the horse before Nuriko could stop her. "This is a time for action! They've helped me and I have to return the favor. I just can't leave without knowing if they're safe!"

_They mean everything to me._

"You take the Tessen to safety but I'm going to get Genrou and Kouji." She turned and ran into the woods, using only the pain she was feeling as her guiding force.

Nuriko jumped down and ran after her. "Come back Miaka! Its not safe out here!"

_Genrou's going to kill me... If she doesn't manage to get me killed first!_

***

"Genrou!" Kouji staggered about the woods going in the direction Mischai must have taken Genrou but was getting nowhere. It was nearing dusk and he had yet to find his leader.

He called out again and again, hoping he would hear something but got only silence in return. He tripped, falling down a rocky outcrop and landing in a creek bed with a splash.

"Genrou!!!"

Genrou wasn't sure, but he thought he heard someone calling his name.

"Aniki..." he whispered, raising his head. "Aniki!" he called louder, still only barely making a sound as his voice had been mostly lost due to screaming for so long under the biting lash of the whip.

"ANIKI!!!!!"

Kouji was sitting miserably in the puddle when he heard what he had been hoping to hear for hours. Bolting upright, he followed the sound to a beaten path. And that's when he saw him.

His eyes widened when he saw the bloody mess that was Genrou. Running over, he gently held up Genrou's head and looked over the wounds.

"Genrou! Genrou! Stay awake! You can't die here!"

***

Miaka hurried through the woods but tried to do it as quietly as possible.

_Gen-chan, I know it's you! Please be okay._

Miaka could still feel her back tingling. She felt nauseated, sick with worry over what was happening to Genrou and Kouji right that moment. The pain was directing her and she felt like she was getting close.

"Kouji! Genrou!" She could feel Genrou. He was close! "Genrou!" She hollered. She had to keep going, she had to find them!

Kouji heard a girl's voice in the distance. Could it be!?

"Miaka!? Is that you?" he yelled, his voice hoarse. "Miaka! Over here!"

Kouji patted Genrou on the shoulder, trying to let him know everything would be okay.

"Save yer' strength."

His vision was blurred but Genrou was sure he could see Kouji hovering over him. He could see his lips moving but the sound was distorted as if he was hearing him from far away. The pain was so intense that he wanted to let it pull him back into the darkness that had cradled him earlier.

Another sound caught his attention, it almost sounded like the Chibi Onna... but she should have been with Nuriko, safe at the inn!

"N... m'kay... Mi-chan... s-safe..."

He fought through the pain to stay awake because he knew if he passed out he would probably never wake up. "K'ji," he sighed. "U-up... me up...p-please...?"

He didn't want to fight anymore, but he would for Kouji. For Miaka.

Miaka heard Kouji yell. She ran toward the sound of his voice until she could eventually make out their silhouettes. When she saw Genrou on the ground she let out a pained cry. "Gen-chan!" She yelled, running and skidding to a halt beside him as she collapsed to her knees and started to cry.

"What happened? Nuriko and I came back and saw everything was fine. He wanted to continue on to the town like we agreed in the plan but I couldn't leave you two! We need to get you both to Mitsukake. He said he was a doctor but… we've got to get a horse! I'll find one." Miaka's hands trembled as they touched Genrou's sticky, warm forehead. It made her sick seeing Genrou such a mess.

Kouji held out a hand, stopping Miaka. After helping Genrou lean up against a trunk of a tree, he embraced her.

"Don't worry. He'll be okay. Stay put! I'll go find a horse."

He released her and then bolted off into the bush, just as the sunlight began to fade.

Miaka watched him go, just as confused by his strange affection as she'd been before. Her face was red, her eyes were a never-ending stream of salty tears. She looked at Genrou and tried to get herself together.

"We've got to bandage your wounds. First, your back… this might hurt." She unbuttoned his shirt and then tore it into strips. She wrapped them tightly around his abdomen, trying to make them tight enough to keep any more blood from escaping. She did this all the way up his back, making sure each one was tight, even if he moaned in complaint. "We need to keep you together until the doctor can help you."

"Han...ds," He wheezed, his broken ribs aching as he leaned on the tree. "Untie... hands..."

Her bindings hurt but he could take it...maybe.

He looked at Miaka and tried to see through the blur of pain. Her face was wet with tears and he felt his heart clench. He hated to see her cry and now it was his fault she was crying.

"Mi...chan, don' cry. M'okay..." he tried to smile through the pain but feared his jaw may be broken too. His smile turned into a grimace as he slumped back to rest against the tree.

Kouji would be back soon. He could sleep a little while Kouji was gone, couldn't he?

His eyes started to drift closed.

Miaka was working at untying the knot and getting the ropes off when she saw his eyes fluttering. "No!" She set her hands on his shoulders and shook him, just a little. "You've got to stay awake, just until we get you to town!"

_Where are you Kouji.. you've got to hurry!_

***

Kouji ran as fast as he could, summoning all his strength to make it back up the hills. He stopped dead in his tracks when a figure appeared out of the darkness before him. He got into a fighting stance, ready to die, when the figure came into the light.

"Kouji!? Where are Miaka and Genrou?"

It was Nuriko! He grabbed onto the small man, letting his super strength keep him up.

"Genrou's hurt. Miaka's with 'im. Gotta get a horse and get 'em into town. He needs a doctor."

"Damnit," Nuriko chewed his thumbnail, "I left our horse back at the gates. We'll have to go back. Hold on tight!"

He lifted Kouji up into his arms and ran like hell towards the gates. In no time, they'd made it. He dropped Kouji back to his feet and mounted the horse. Kouji only stood, staring.

"What!?"

"We need two. There's four of us. Hang on!" He snuck into the Stronghold and cautiously approached the stables, not trusting that they would be completely empty. When he was certain the coast was clear he nabbed a horse and hurried back out.

"Let's go!"

His mind was racing. He couldn't shake the fact that the Kahou Bandits had tried to kill Genrou, the lil' brother he had never had. He led the way down the road as close to the path as possible. He and Nuriko jumped off their horses in unison and charged into the woods.

_Don't die on me Genrou..._

"Miaka! We're here. Nuriko, let's get him back to the horse."

Nuriko tilted her head towards Miaka. "Glad to see you're okay, if a bit foolish."

"Kouji…" Miaka was relieved that help had arrived, even if she'd probably made Nuriko a bit mad at her.

Genrou's eyes shot open as pain flared in his back at Miaka's rough shaking and he gasped. _'Fuck...'_

"Aaa...awake. No shake... please..."

He heard the beating of hooves and Miaka cry out Kouji's name. At last he was going to get help. He felt his eyes flutter closed again and forced them open. He _had_ to stay awake!

He shook his head to clear his vision and leaned away from the tree.

"Kouji..."

Miaka looked up at Kouji and nodded, moving to the side. Nuriko slipped her arms under Genrou's pits to hoist him up. In no time at all, they got his limp form up onto the horse.

"I'll ride with Genrou, you two ride together. We need to get to town as quickly as possible." Kouji hopped up behind Genrou.

"Mitsukake will be there at an inn… or at least, he said he would be." Nuriko looked at Kouji and nodded. "We need to keep him awake. Don't worry, just stay right behind me." He kicked the horse and they were off!

Looking down at Genrou who sat on the horse in front of him, Kouji gritted his teeth as they sped down the mountainside.

"Don't die...."

Genrou tried to grin but the jostling of the horse was causing his back, ribs and jaw to ache even worse and his smile fell short yet again.

"Ko-Kouji... itai" He gasped and clutched on to his friend's arm that was wrapped around his belly. "Hurts, aniki... make it stop." He could feel a fever beginning in his back and his breathing was getting shallow. He figured he was bleeding internally.

His breath gurgled slightly as he leaned over the horses neck, he could feel the bindings on his back beginning to seep and knew he was bleeding much too fast.

He wasn't going to make it.

No one could live with internal bleeding or loosing too much blood and, as far as he knew, no doctor could cure him.

He bowed his head and sighed, "Love ya, Kouji... sorry 'bout alla th' trouble... I caused ya."

He had said his piece and let his body go lax. He knew there would be no miracle for him.

"Tell Mi-chan I'm ...sorry."

Kouji could see the town gates not far ahead. He could see the town in the distance and the inn was getting closer. He actually started to feel a bit relieved.

That was, until Genrou started to speak again, weaker this time.

"Save yer strength!" He snapped angrily as they came to a stop in front of the inn. "Hold on, man!" Leaping off the horse, Kouji burst into the inn tavern, breathing heavily. Miaka and Nuriko followed close behind him.

"Is there a doctor in here?" He shouted, silencing the crowd of drinkers.

"Kouji?" Mitsukake stood up from the table with his yet-untouched jug of sake. Darn. Almost able to drink but they had to show up with some kind of emergency. "Where's… oh."

He jumped up from his seat and followed them outside. When he saw Genrou, he wished he had been drinking. There was blood everywhere and his injuries were fatal. There was only one thing he could do…

"Is anyone watching?"

"What!? What does that 'ave t'do with anythin'!?" Kouji shouted.

Miaka, touched Kouji's shoulder, trying to calm him down. "No, we're alone."

"Good. Here goes…"

Mitsukake cupped his hands over top of the middle of Genrou's back and took a deep breath in. His palm began to glow, sending tiny beams of warm light over Genrou's back. He had to concentrate and not lose his focus, despite the other three practically climbing on him to watch.

Before his eyes, the skin on his body stretched out and sealed the open wounds. His bones healed without leaving a seam, as if they'd never been broken. With his job done, Mitsukake collapsed down on the ground to catch his breath.

When he looked up, everyone was staring at him.

"What? That's my power. I can heal people."

"Don't suppose you can fix my broken arm too?" Kouji asked hopefully.

Mitsukake nodded his head. "It won't take much energy but I can't heal too many people in a short time period. I'll put it in a splint for the night and heal you tomorrow."

Kouji held out his arm and with Mitsukake's experience, some sticks, and torn fabric, he had a splint. It felt better already.

Miaka sighed with relief and threw her arms around Mitsukake in a hug. "Thank you so much! I don't know how to repay you..."

Mits smiled at Miaka. "No repayment needed. Just happy to help. I think I've earned my drink."

Genrou suddenly gasped in precious oxygen and coughed, spitting up the blood that had filled his lungs. His eyes widened as he wriggled a bit to check his body out.

His back didn't hurt, it was a bit tight but nothing too bad, he'd probably have scars. His jaw and ribs felt much better and he flexed his hand, very grateful that he could still use it.

He looked up at the tall doctor and smirked, "I owe ya one, Mits. Name it an' it's yers."

He crawled off the horse only to be glomped by Kouji and Miaka in a very tight hug.

He gasped for air yet again under their herculean grasps. "Need....air!"

Kouji let go and patted the doctor on the back. "Well done, doc. I don't suppose you already got us beds fer the night?"

"I did. We've got 3 rooms with 5 beds between 'em, so we can figure out sleeping arrangements in a bit. I'm going to go get that drink." Mitsukake headed back to the bar with a devious grin.

Kouji let out a yawn. "I think I'd better get some rest. I'll take a room with two beds. G'night!" He hurried upstairs before anyone could stop him. He didn't want to be alone with Miaka again… not just yet. His body was aching and his eyes were already closing against his will. By the time his body hit the bed, he was already asleep.

"I can't sleep yet! I'm wide awake! I think I'll look around." Miaka cheerfully announced, rushing inside herself. She turned back to poke her head out the door and shout "Gen-chan, go to Kouji's room and get some sleep!"

Genrou watched Kouji wander off to bed and frowned, following after him and grinning as he opened the door. Kouji was too funny sleeping like a lump across the bed so Genrou picked him up and shifted him to lay on the bed right and settle him under the blankets.

He looked down at his sleeping friend and frowned; he had almost lost Kouji today and Genrou had almost died. His breath hitched and he pulled off the bindings and shirt and crawled into bed beside his aniki, cuddling close as a few tears slipped free.

_Aniki... I'm so sorry 'bout t'day._

His exhaustion caught up with him and he drifted off to sleep curled up around Kouji's back, his nose buried in the hair at Kouji's nape and his arms wrapped around Kouji's belly.

Kouji had drifted off carelessly into dreams and he curled up slightly, murmuring incoherently as he slept, not realizing he was intertwined with Genrou. He turned over slightly, his face towards Genrou's and reached over, embracing his fellow bandit.

Genrou mumbled in his sleep and scooted closer to the warmth in front of him.

He was also dreaming. The blue haired man was smiling at him and holding him close. He sighed into his arms and laid his head against the warm chest, content to feel the strength and comfort the strange man always gave him.

He lifted his face to receive a kiss and groaned as heat filled him; he always loved this. He would give anything to feel this for the rest of his days.

Unbeknownst to him, he was wrapped tightly in Kouji's arms and pressing a kiss to the other man's neck.

The feeling snapped Kouji awake. He felt violated when he looked down to see Genrou nuzzling his neck. Violation turned to horror as he tried to free himself from Genrou's grasp.

"Genrou!" He snapped, pushing the younger bandit away. "Let go of me!"

Genrou shot up in bed and yelled in fright.

Kouji's words penetrated his brain and he scrambled away as fast as he could, falling off the edge of the bed and cracking his head on the floor.

"Kouji, I'm sorry! I was dreamin'! I swear! I'll never do it again!" He continued to scoot backwards across the floor until his back was pressed against the rough wood of the wall. His face was white and his lips were trembling, his eyes wide and fearful.

_Shit! He's gonna hate me! No, no I'm sorry, aniki!_

He glared at Genrou like an older brother whose little brother was misbehaving. Kouji tried to shake off the old, familiar feeling of Genrou clinging to him.

But as the younger bandit trembled against the wall like it was the end of the world, Kouji couldn't help but laugh.

"You may be leader but I get my own bed."

He blew out a breath and sagged against the wall, relieved that he hadn't messed up their friendship again... not like last time.

He shook his head to clear those terrible memories away and stood up, presenting his scarred back to Kouji as he settled into his bed against the wall and grumbled under his breath.

"Yeah, yeah... yer injured anyway. I just wanted t'hug ya... I almost lost ya t'day. An' I almost died... Sorry, I just wanted a bit a comfort." He trailed off in a whisper. "I wasn't gonna do it again, aniki. I promised last time I wouldn't."

Upon seeing the massive amount of scarring on Genrou's back, Kouji moved over to his bed and, with his good arm, gave him a hug.

"Don't worry, Genrou." He said embracing his friend. "I almost lost you too..."

Letting go, Kouji walked back over to his bed and tried to return to sleep.

Genrou flopped down on his own bed and curled up against the side facing the wall. He was exhausted, and so sleep claimed him swiftly. His dreams were those of the strange blue haired man with the permanent smile begging him to find him soon.

He groaned and rolled, flopping over onto his back, a loud snore breaking the silence of the room.

***

After stabling the horses and speaking with a few locals to find out what they knew about people with weird red marks on their bodies (hey, it never hurt to ask!), Nuriko walked into the pub, somewhat cold but otherwise still as lively as ever. He spotted Miaka in the corner, sitting by herself.

He grinned and walked over, pulling out a chair for himself in front of her.

"Mi-a-ka!" He smiled, watching her expression. "Are you excited for tomorrow?"

"Kinda… but I'm still collecting myself. It's been a long day." She ran her index fingernail across the wooden table's surface. "I still don't understand the connection I have with Genrou. I could feel his pain and it told me where he was." She looked at Nuriko and frowned. "It just doesn't make sense." She shook her head. "How-" Miaka stopped and shook her head, pressing on her temples to fight back the thought-headache.

_Maybe the legend is true.__ This girl could feel a seishi in pain. There's no doubt in my mind she's the Suzaku no Miko… the one I've been dreading. She's not so bad, I guess._

"That's because you're the Priestess. All mikos can tell when their warriors are in pain." Nuriko leaned forward on his arm with a beautiful smile.

"What?" Miaka wasn't sure if she'd heard him right. "You still think I'm the Priestess?" She asked, standing up.

Smiling sheepishly, Nuriko shrugged. "It sure seems like it. But the Emperor will know for sure."

"At least I know where I need to go next. Then Genrou and Kouji-" She paused. "They get to go home and lead the bandits." She frowned and looked down at the table.

_K__ouji and Genrou have to leave me. They can't give up their entire lives just because I want them to stay so I won't be lonely. Gen-chan only promised to get me to Keisuke, after all._

She looked down at the filthy table. "I guess I'll be going home soon. Once I've found my brother and his friend, we just need to find Yui and go." She spoke with a smile, but deep inside she didn't want to leave Kouji or Genrou.

Nuriko pushed away from the table.

"Miaka, why don't we go to bed? Mitsukake will find his way to bed when he's finished drinking himself silly and I trust you more with a lady like myself. Come on."

Miaka was glad to have a distraction from thinking about the future. "Can we peak in on Gen-chan and Kouji too? Just to make sure they are both okay?"

Nuriko nodded and led Miaka to their bedroom door.

"I'm filthy and I need a bath. Can't show up to a palace like this. You check on them and then go to bed. Our room is right next to theirs." He headed down to the bathing room with a wave, leaving Miaka standing alone in the hall.

She set her hand on the doorknob and opened the door slowly. She peeked in and smiled at Kouji, the only one awake in the room. Genrou was snoring loudly in the bed beside his.

Miaka walked into the room, closed the door behind herself, and walked across the room to sit down on the edge of Kouji's bed. Looking at Kouji's face in the dark, she realized how much he resembled Genrou. Her heart pounded when she thought of the pair of them.

"We need to talk about what happened back in the Stronghold."

Kouji sat up, looking over at Genrou to make sure he was asleep.

"Think you c'n talk over th'racket?" He asked softly as moonlight trickled into the room through the tattered window curtains.

"Kouji…"

He fiddled with his bandages and sighed. "I hurt Genrou pretty bad today. I just don't understand how the Kahou bandits found out the boss died that quick."

"Kouji!" She raised her voice a little, stopping him from saying anything else. There was a pregnant pause before she spoke again. "Why did you kiss me?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know!?"

"No!" He threw up his hands and stood, then turned around to look at her. "I can't stop thinking about you. You're the most beautiful, kind, innocent girl I've ever met and I just want to protect you. I wanted to see your face and know that what I was feeling wasn't real, but it is."

Miaka felt warm inside when Kouji spoke about wanting to protect her. But it didn't explain anything.

"Do you… do you lo…"

He cut her off.

"It doesn't matter what I think anyway. If you're the girl from the story then I ain't got a chance." He had a sad smile on his face when he plopped back down.

"What's the story?"

"The story?" He checked to make sure Genrou was still sound asleep. "It's just an ol' legend. When our country faces destruction, a girl from another world will save it by gatherin' the seven stars of Suzaku and summonin' the Beast God. It's foolish, I know. It's just a story but Genrou's arm has always scared me. I mean, at first I thought it was just a funny birthmark. Then the boss explained what it meant. Once I knew it wasn't a bad thing, I wasn't afraid no more and we became friends. He may deny it, but he's a Suzaku Celestial Warrior."

Settling his head back against the paneled wall, he stared out the window at the pale moonlight, deep in thought.

"Girl from another world..." Miaka repeated, thinking about Keisuke, Tetsuya, Yui and herself and how they all came to the world together.

_It couldn't be me, I came with three other people! They'd have to be involved too, wouldn't they?_

She wasn't sure though. When Genrou was within an inch of death Miaka could feel it. She sensed his pain.

_Maybe I am the girl from the legend. That story from the library was the same. It said that whoever reads the book to the end will be given power and granted a wish, just like the girl in the story._ _So what happens if four of us read the sto…_

She gasped and looked up at Kouji.

_I'm the one that read from the book first._

Taking his gaze from the moon, Kouji looked back at Miaka.

"What? Was it somethin' I said?" His legs dangled over the side of the bed and he sighed, looking at his broken arm.

Miaka looked down at her knees and shook her head.

_I'm nobody special, just a junior high school student studying for her entrance exams._

She talked herself out of believing it, but decided to ask nonetheless.

"Do you really think I could be the girl in the legend?" She asked Kouji after a moment of hesitation.

Kouji leaned forward and eyed Miaka strangely.

"You have doubts? I'm positive it's you. Genrou is too, even if he doesn't want to admit it. And the seishi are supposed to know their Priestess when they see her."

Genrou rolled over onto his stomach, arms and legs akimbo and face buried in the pillow.

And still his snores reverberated around the room.

"No... 'n lea' me. M' back...chir..." he mumbled in his sleep.

Miaka giggled quietly. "Poor Gen-chan. It's been a long day!"

He blushed, watching her beautiful face light up. His tightly controlled emotions spilled forth as he pulled her into a gentle hug.

"I almost lost Genrou and ya today. I-I thought they had kidnapped ya in order to get me to do their bidding. Genrou almost died trying to save me! If only I had refused…"

"It isn't your fault Genrou is stubborn! There's nothing you could have done. Even if you refused they would have beat you to a pulp, then gotten to Genrou." She paused. "As much as you don't like what you did, you were the one to save him." She rubbed his back as she hugged him. "It was your voice I heard in the forest. You rode found Nuriko and the horse. You got him to the doctor in time."

_Miaka could be the Suzaku no Miko and you're makin' yourself look like a pussy._

Closing his eyes, he pushed Miaka away gently, letting go of her. He rubbed his head with his good hand and smiled.

"Thanks, Miaka. You better go get yerself some shut eye."

Miaka hopped up and nodded, eager to leave the awkward situation behind. Tomorrow was a new and exciting day! She waved goodnight and left the room, shutting the door as quietly as possible.

Kouji watched Miaka leave, his heart aching.

'_I like her but if she's the miko, we' can't be together,'_ he thought bitterly, closing his eyes.

Unbuttoning his shirt, he pulled it off and tossed it on the floor. He grabbed the blanket, pulling it over him as he settled in for sleep, closing his eyes with a painful sigh.

_I guess I just can't let myself fall fer her._


	13. Chapter 12

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

A town in Konan; morning

Early in the morning, when Nuriko had already risen for the day, Miaka made her way back to the bandit's room. She'd spent the whole night worried about them and didn't want to leave them alone. But when she got to the room and found them sleeping peacefully, she found herself tired again.

She snatched a thin blanket from the shelf and lay down on the floor, drifting off again.

The sun began to rise higher, waking the whole town up.

Genrou stretched, feeling his back pop and his muscles flex as he sat up and yawned. Looking over at the room's two other inhabitants, he noted that Kouji had sprawled out across the bed, hogging every last inch while Miaka lay on the floor with only a thin blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

He frowned and got to his feet, scratching his sides and belly as he yawned again. He moved over to Miaka and hefted her up, putting her on the bed, and grabbed Kouji's ankle, dragging him off the foot of the bed.

His head thunked loudly against the floor and when he growled at the rude awakening Genrou slapped a hand over his mouth, gesturing over his shoulder at Miaka.

He dragged his bandit brother out of the room.

"WHAT TH' HELL WERE YA DOIN' MAKIN' HER SLEEP ON TH' FLOOR, AHO!?"

Hearing and feeling his head hit the ground wasn't the best way to wake up.

"I didn't even know she was in the room! When we said goodnight I thought she went back to her room with Nuriko."

His mouth opened and closed for a few seconds before he frowned. "When th' hell did she come in the room last night? Are you and her…? No way." He passed a hand over his face in irritation. "Damnit, Kouji, what th' fuck didja do? "

He grabbed Kouji by the shoulders and shook him, "WAKE UP AHO!"

With a great big yawn and a roll onto her back, Miaka opened her eyes to find an empty room and rubbed her eyes. She watched the rays of sun stretching across the floor, onto her bed.

_Wha- I didn't sleep up here... did I?_ She sat up and rubbed her face. Traces of Genrou and Kouji's voices trickled into the room.

_What are they arguing about now?_

There was a violent slap as Kouji backhanded Genrou after standing upright. Kouji growled and grabbed Genrou by the shirt with his good hand.

"Mind your own fuckin' business, Genrou," he snapped, pushing Genrou away.

"I can't care about her like that, even if I want to."

He stared in shock at Kouji. He had never hit him like that before and he didn't know what to do, so he said the first thing that popped into his head.

"What? She turn ya down 'er somethin'? Heh, good girl. she's got better taste than that." He winced and smacked a hand to his forehead, "Shit, Kouji I didn't mean that. I... well, ya know how I am. Talk before I think an' shit."

He tried to reach out and touch Kouji's shoulder but the move was stymied when Kouji turned.

_Oh...shit_

Miaka listened to the two of them argue.

_So Kouji does have feelings for me. But how do I feel about him?_

Whenever she thought of Kouji and Genrou, her heart beat harder. But did that mean she loved him? It wasn't like the feelings she'd read about or seen on tv. But it was the pair of them that made her feel this way. Maybe that meant something after all.

Kouji growled at Genrou and opened the door into Miaka.

"Sorry Miaka," he muttered. He snatched up his boots and collected his sheathed sword before walking out and down the hallway, past a shocked Genrou.

_I just need to clear my head of her!_

Miaka looked at Genrou with confusion and shrugged, then gestured for her to go after his friend.

Genrou nodded and followed, not ready to let the argument go. He reached out and grabbed Kouji by the shoulder and stopped him in his tracks. "I'm sorry bud, but yer gonna hafta come clean wit me. Do ya like her? She ain't hard on th' eyes er nothin' an' she's a real sweet girl. Answer me... please?"

"I can't love someone who may be th' Suzaku no Miko, I just can't. Yer right Genrou. She deserves better than me anyway. I'm just a bandit, ne?"

Genrou growled. "So because yer a bandit makes ya not good enough, ne? What does that mean fer me? 'Cause I'm a bandit am I not good enough t'be a seishi? Is that what yer sayin'?"

He crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at Kouji, "Is that what ya think a me? I'm not good enough? Well, fuck you too, ya bastard!"

Genrou turned his head away from Kouji and stormed back into the bedroom, unaware that Miaka was listening in on their conversation.

Miaka watched Genrou storm around the room, seemingly unaware of her presence. "He certainly does have low self esteem, doesn't he?"

She sighed and rubbed her stomach slowly. "Do you think I'm the miko too?" She asked

He glanced over at his Chibi Onna and sighed. He knew he needed to be honest. "Yeah, I do. I've never been able t'feel someone else's pain or joy a'fore like I can wit' ya, it's like yer part a me... understand?"

"If'n that makes ya th' miko... hell, I've never seen my fuckin' mark glow less you was in danger or we was around Nuriko an' Mitsukake! I can't help but think yer th' miko! Yer special whether ya wanna believe it er not. Kouji just needs to see that he's good enough fer ya... oops... heh, never mind....!" His face went three shades of red, outdoing the living flames of his hair.

It didn't seem that he was telling her what she wanted to hear. She was supposed to be going home with her brother and friends, Kouji and Genrou were supposed to go back home and rule the bandits.

"We can worry about this later. For now, I just want to see my brother again."

He nodded, they were going to head off to Eiyou anyway so if that was where they'd find her brother then all the better.

He helped Miaka pack away their meager belongings and stole all the blankets and pillows out of the room. He was sure to leave an extra large tip on the bed as payment.

Breakfast was strained, to say the least. The only one who was even partially cheerful was Nuriko but even he seemed subdued by the haze of gloom that seemed to blanket the table.

They rode double. Miaka and Genrou shared a horse while Nuriko and Kouji shared another and Mitsukake rode alone. Neither Kouji nor Nuriko were pleased by the seating arrangements but Miaka had expressed a desire to sit with her bandit and so the choice was taken from them.

They hadn't traveled long when a small town came into view, and they decided to ride through the village.

"Hey! Stop picking on my sister you big bully!" A young voice cried as they were passing the less privileged part of town, causing Genrou to stop short. He looked over and saw a small boy standing in front of a tiny little girl that couldn't be more than four years old. The boys causing the problems were much larger than the boy and his small sister and so Genrou nudged his horse over to check things out.

"There a problem here?" He asked pulling the horse to a stop and staring down at the boys.

"What's it to you, mister?" The largest of the boys asked, his tone conveying a sneer.

Genrou narrowed his eyes, "This is my cousin, ya fuckin' brat! Back off or I'll put ya's both over my knee! Beat it!"

The older boys looked at each other before turning and running away.

"I'm Chuei and this is my sister Yuiren, thank you very much mister!" The boy called as he took his sisters hand and dragged her away.

"Heh, nice kid."

Miaka looked down at the two children below. She smiled at Genrou and listened to their conversation. "Gee Genrou, I never knew you like children." She teased.

Genrou blushed darkly at Miaka's words; he maybe a rough and tumble bandit but he had a soft spot for kids... but that didn't mean he wanted to advertise it either.

"Nah, just helpin' out a bit." He said turning his face away and letting his long flame colored bangs cover his eyes.

Miaka heard the horse behind them whinny and turned her head in time to see it stand up on its hind legs, throwing Kouji off. Miaka gasped and watched him shout at Nuriko. She poked Genrou in the side and pointed at the two of them.

He felt a poke in his side and peeked over her head at the debacle taking place behind them.

Kouji was flat on his ass in the dirt, a sprig of hay between his teeth and a massive grin on his face, while Nuriko glared down from his position on the horse's back.

"Arright, both of ya's needs t'cool it. We don't wanna draw attention to ourselves. May have Kahou bandits 'round here an' I'll tell ya, I ain't gonna be a happy bandit if'n they find us a'fore we get some more help. Let's just make our way outta town an' stop fer lunch. Mi-chan's probably hungry an' I didn't eat much breakfast."

He nudged his horse around and tapped its sides, moving it into a swift canter.

Genrou frowned as his back twitched and the memory of long hours of torture flitted through his mind.

_They ain't gonna find us. An' if'n they do, I'll make sure Kouji, Nuriko, an' Chibi Onna get away. They ain't gonna hafta live with scars criss crossin' their back like I am. I won't let 'em!_

Still grinning, Kouji nodded, glancing at Miaka briefly before turning his eyes back to Nuriko, who was glaring at him.

"Five gold coins." Nuriko demanded, holding out his hands, as Kouji tried to get back on the horse. He smiled innocently.

"What?" exclaimed Kouji as he was shoved away. "Lemme up!"

"No." Grinning back at the bandit, Nuriko watched as Genrou and Miaka headed off. "You want to ride, now you have to pay."

"Son of a bitch." Mumbled Kouji as he glanced around before reaching into his pocket and grabbing 4 coins. "How about 4?"

"Fine. Next time it will be eight coins." He helped the man up, then hurried the horse along. "Hold on tight!"

They rode beside the tall doctor in silence until they reached the very edge of town, caught up with Genrou and Miaka, and dismounted. They laid out a stolen blanket and a bit of food for everyone.

Genrou knew they had to get to Eiyou but couldn't seem to feel any urgency to go. He almost felt as if they were waiting for something, he just didn't know what.

Nuriko sat, his eyes bright as he picked up a piece of fruit and bit into it.

Kouji tapped the doctor on the shoulder. "Err, I don't suppose you can heal my arm now?"

Miaka picked up at piece of bread and took a large bite out of it, chewing heartily as she watched Mitsukake and Kouji, just as Nuriko did. She looked down at her bread and took another bite.

She was at a loss for words, thinking only about what she would say when she saw Keisuke again.

Genrou lay back on the blanket as his food settled, in no hurry to get moving again. He was content to just lay in the sunshine and enjoy the day.

"Let's see the arm." Mitsukake examined him, checking the break and the healing. "You heal quick. This looks like a clean break and it will heal in no time. You don't need my help for this one."

"B-but…"

Mitsukake closed his eyes and fell back onto the grass. "I have one hell of a headache. I'm not going to be any use at the moment. Maybe tomorrow."

Kouji's face went red and he stood up.

"We gotta get going." He said, frowning. "We have to get to the next village before it gets too dark." He glared at the doctor and his lower lip stuck out.

Genrou grinned at Kouji's pouting. It was so cute. If Kouji hadn't been his brother and he hadn't had those damned dreams he might have been tempted, but things were not different and so Genrou contented himself with laughing at his pouting friend.

"Mi-chan, look at the kawaii pout." He whispered softly.

Nuriko got up as well, walking over to Kouji, and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Before Kouji could shake him off, Nuriko grinned. "Why the unhappy face, Bandit-chan?"

Kouji shoved the arm away and stomped around, trying to clean up. Mitsukake sat back up and looked at the sky.

"We should go, before it gets dark. Think your friend really needs me to heal him?"

Genrou didn't know whether to laugh or growl. Kouji copped an attitude with everyone... well, except Miaka. He shrugged and snorted, "It's yer power, ya get t'choose." He said as he rolled to his feet and moved around the picnic site, gathering everything together and packing it away for later use.

"Okay, who wants t'ride wit' who?"

Patting his horse, Nuriko grinned. "I'd say we should let Miaka pick who rides with who!" He exclaimed, climbing onto the horse.

Miaka put her thumbnail in her mouth and glanced back and forth between Genrou, Nuriko, and Kouji. Which one would she pick?

She leaned over and grabbed Kouji's arm, pulling herself to his side. "I'll ride with Kouji for a while, if that's okay with him?" She looked up at him for a moment, then away. She was nervous around him but wanted to learn more about what she was feeling around him.

"Nuriko that means you're with Genrou. Let's go!"

Genrou grinned as Kouji nudged the horse into a quick trot. He liked the idea of Miaka being with someone like aniki who would protect her, but he didn't like seeing her arms around him.

He gestured for Nuriko to hop down and then took the lead, having the smaller man climb up on the horse behind him. Genrou couldn't help but tease. "Ya better hold on, I ain't all that good at ridin'." And he kicked the horse into a gallop laughing as Nuriko screamed and clutched onto his hips in order to keep his seat.

"Don't kill me, you crazy bandit!" He shrieked as they bolted through the hills.

Genrou grinned and looked over his shoulder at Nuriko, "Told ya t'hang on. An' if'n ya hang on ya ain't gonna die."

***

Miaka patted the horse on the head. Genrou had always had her sit on the back of the horse when they rode but now she was sitting in front with the feel of Kouji's muscled thighs at her backside, making her blush. She felt a little uncomfortable sitting in front.

She bit her lip and turned her face to his, "Kouji, do you hate me?"

He stopped the horse suddenly and let the reigns go in shock. He couldn't believe it! Eyes wide, he pulled his good arm up and hugged her across the chest, burying his face in her hair.

"No." He whispered, holding her close. "I... I don't hate you, Miaka. If you knew all the feelings I feel, you'd understand where I'm coming from. I care for ya, I really do."

He knew he shouldn't say it. He wasn't sure that he believed it, but he couldn't stop himself.

"I think I love you."

The words echoed in her ears and she stared up at him in shock. He loved her? Really?

She blushed and looked away, "I… see." She didn't know what else to tell him. She couldn't say she loved him but she didn't hate him. "I do like you, Kouji, but…"

He held her a moment more, inhaling her distinct smell, before releasing her and straightening up. He clicking the horse back into a trot to catch up with the others.

"You don't have to say anything. I just had to tell you."

Genrou looked back over his shoulder, checking to make sure Miaka was okay. He could just barely see Kouji's face. He noticed instantly the pink blush on Miaka's cheeks and after another moment he saw Kouji's hands holding her hips closely and he couldn't help a stab of jealousy.

His aniki looked happy. Maybe he had a beautiful girl who loved him after all... What if they decided they didn't need him around anymore? What would he do then?

He shook his head to clear those thoughts. As they rounded a bend that would connect them to the last leg of their journey, he brought the horse to a stop with a sigh. They had to get Miaka to Eiyou but they also needed to gather some men to secure and take back the mountain. He sighed again.

"Arright, guys. I need Mitsukake to take Kouji to Kutou to gather men t'get back my mountain while me, Mi-chan, an' Nuriko go to Eiyou."

He watched to see their reactions, knowing that if Kouji and Miaka were in love, they wouldn't like being parted, but seeing no other choice.

"I guess she's gonna be mine!" Nuriko hopped down and onto Mitsukake's horse, grinning at Kouji. "Have fun, Bandit-chan!"

Miaka didn't like the idea of the group being split up. Not when they were so close! "So this is where we part…"

She had to keep her mind on Keisuke. Miaka was going to see Yui, her brother, and Tetsuya again in no time at all.

Kouji bit his lip, trying not to protest out loud. He felt like he was making progress with Miaka and if he left her now, he'd never have a reason to see her again. He wasn't one of her seishi, Genrou was.

He gritted his teeth, trying to be brave.

"Miaka..." he said gently, not letting go of her waist, "I promise ya' we'll meet again. I promised to protect you no matter what. When I finish getting' the mountain back in order I'll come find you." He leaned in close to her ear. "You can give me your answer then."

Genrou growled and looked away from what he was certain must be a heart breaking scene playing out between his best friend and his miko. He hated to do this but he needed Nuriko to get them in the palace and to Miaka's brother. He couldn't just send Mitsukake to the mountain by himself, the bandits needed a leader they could trust.

_A leader…Mebbe I should be th'one t'go t'gather forces. I can let the rest of 'em carry on to Eiyou. Miaka will be safe with 'em.  
_  
Genrou sighed. He couldn't do this. He couldn't break either of their hearts and so he wouldn't. If Kouji had a chance, he should take it, Genrou just didn't want to **see** it. That look on Kouji's face… the blush growing redder on Miaka's cheeks when Kouji whispered in her ear… Godsdamnit it hurt him to see the two of them together. Did he love his aniki so much that he couldn't be happy to let him find love?

"Forget this. I'm goin' t'Kutou myself. I'm the leader after all. The rest of ya's go t'Eiyou an' find Miaka's brother."

He spurred the horse and took off in a cloud of dust, not wanting to hear any of their thanks or protests.

_They don't need me right now anyway. Kouji c'n protect her an' th' doc c'n make sure she stays healthy. I'm just an extra person tagging along._

Kouji watched Genrou leave with perfect understanding of what his friend had just done. He waved goodbye, knowing Genrou wouldn't look back.

Nuriko watched the bandit leader depart and frowned, tilting his head just so. _'Why did Genrou run off like that? His duty as a Suzaku Seishi is more important than anything else.'_ He wondered, grabbing onto Mitsukake.

It was then that he had a brilliant idea. He would convince Genrou to come with them! He tossed Mitsukake off the horse and onto the dirt.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Mitsukake rubbed the spot on his face where he'd landed.

"Sorry, but I can't let him go like that. You three keep going for Eiyou, we'll catch up as soon as I convince him he's acting like a fool. Don't worry, the Emperor will let you in."

He winked at Miaka and took off. The remaining three watched them go in silence before Mitsukake finally spoke up.

"Miaka better sit between us. Unless you want me rubbing up against your backside, Kouji.

After a quick seating rearrangement, Mitsukake had the reins, Miaka was behind him, and Kouji was clinging to her, trying not to fall backwards off the horse's ass. They hit another bump and Kouji flew up, landing hard on the horse's behind. He winced, wondering how much longer they were going to have to ride this way.

They were nearing the edge of the woods outside Eiyou at long last. The road had been bumpy, jarring the three of them about in the most uncomfortable positions imaginable. Kouji was dreaming about sitting down on a nice soft chair when another bump knocked him off the horse entirely.

"What th' fuck _was_ that!?" He growled and got to his feet, dusting off his pants. "Can't ya keep the horse going at a steady rate?"

"I'm a doctor, not a jockey. If you want to complain you can walk the rest of the way." Mitsukake grumbled. He'd been without alcohol for hours and he was becoming cranky.

Miaka leaned down to offer him a hand and help him back up. "Are you okay, Kouji?"

"Err… yeah. Thanks."

He looked up at Miaka's worried face and felt his heart swell slightly before stamping down on the feeling.

_She don't want ya, Kouji. She hasn't said no, but she hasn't said yes. _

He grumbled to himself as he climbed back up on the horse and wrapped his arms around her again. _'Just to keep her safe' _he told himself, even as he reveled in the feel of her in his arms.

***

Genrou had taken off in a cloud of dust, his horse at a full gallop. He felt the need to put some distance between himself and his former companions before he changed his mind and went back to them.

He hated leaving Miaka and Kouji, but there was no other way to get everything done. He needed to gather a force large enough to remove the Mt. Kahou bandits from **his** mountain, but he also needed to get Miaka back together with her brother. With such a large group it was only logical to split up... he just didn't think he'd end up heading back to Kutou by himself while the rest of the group headed off to Eiyou.

If he was honest with himself, he'd admit he was lonely and wanted _someone_ to travel with him but...

"Genrou! Wait up you idiot! "

He turned in the saddle and saw a rider heading in his direction. From the long braid of purple hair blowing in the wind, he knew it was Nuriko.

As the purple haired seishi pulled abreast of him, Genrou frowned. "I thought I told ya t'stay an' help Mi-chan get int' th' palace? What th' fuck are ya doin' here?"

Nuriko waved as he pulled up alongside Genrou, then swung his hand and smacked Genrou upside the head. "You should turn around and come to Eiyou with us. The mountain can wait. Your priestess is the one who needs you now. Besides, you'll get wrinkles if you keep worrying about things that are out of your control."

He couldn't help but grin at Nuriko. Wrinkles indeed.

"I'm only 17 ya baka! I ain't gotta worry 'bout no fuckin' wrinkles!" he laughed, grateful for even Nuriko's company.

"Thanks but this is something I have t'do. I promised th'boss I'd keep th'mountain safe."

"If you insist on completing this fool mission, I'll go with you." He cut Genrou off before he could protest. "Miaka has Kouji and Mitsukake with her and they're almost to the city, she'll be fine. You could use the back up."

Before Genrou could protest, Nuriko began to ride towards Kutou at a good clip. When his bandit friend finally caught up, he decided to change the subject before Genrou could protest.

"Genrou, do you really not know anything about your mark?" Nuriko asked with a grin.

"Only a little, not that much." He chewed his tongue and thought about it. The boss had told him some stuff about his mark and a girl who he'd have to follow. But since he never wanted to leave the mountain, especially with some **girl**, he'd refused to learn more about it.

"We're born with a mark; A mark that proclaims we're the ones designated by fate to protect the girl from another world who will summon the Beast God and have a wish granted to bring peace to the country, forever. In our case, it's the God of the South, Suzaku. The four directions are protected by a god each: Seiryuu to the East, Genbu to the North, Byakko to the West. They protect the four major countries in this world. We all have names as seishi, or celestial warriors, too. The names represent the seven constellations in the sky: Tamahome, Chichiri, Mitsukake, Nuriko, Chiriko, Hotohori, and Tasuki. My seishi name is Nuriko, the doctor is Mitsukake…" He checked Genrou's face to make sure he was paying attention before continuing.

"Yours is Tasuki, Genrou."

He stared at Nuriko. "T-Tasuki?"

He wasn't sure why but the name seemed to fit. Tasuki. And for some reason it felt perfect. Like he had never really known who he was until that name had passed Nuriko's lips.

Tasuki nodded and gave a faint smile. "So Nuriko, are we gonna hafta start usin' them names? I kinda like 'Tasuki'… it seems t'fit fer some strange reason. Weird shit, man."

"You don't have to use it if you don't want to but with our miko here I see no reason why you wouldn't." Sighing dramatically, Nuriko continued. "Do you really trust Kouji to get her to Eiyou without getting off track? I mean, I trust Miaka-chan but the Bandit-chan? He's obviously got feelings for her."

Their horses picked up speed as they raced down a hill. "Not worried about him taking advantage of her?"

Tasuki frowned and glared at Nuriko. "No, Nuri-chan," he said with a hint of a sneer, "I don't trust 'im completely, but that was th' OTHER reason I left ya's there with 'em; t'keep Kouji from tryin' t'play' 'Put th' Horse in th' Barn' wit' Miaka." He couldn't help a grin at the childhood saying he and Kouji had come up with for sexual intercourse.

It was one of those things he and Kouji had talked about most often while growing up... until his first and ONLY visit to the brothel. After "The Incident" Kouji had joked about sex less and less until it no longer came up in their conversations.

"Fuckin' Kouji... hurt... damned ass... *grumble, grumble*" he mumbled under his breath as memories of "The Incident" flashed through his mind.

Looking back at Nuriko, Tasuki was surprised to see shock written on Nuriko's handsome face. "What? Yer actin' like yer surprised I don't trust Kouji with Mi-chan. You don't, obviously." He groused, misinterpreting Nuriko's look entirely.

Nuriko burst out laughing. "You and Kouji!? Oh Suzaku that's a good one!" He was howling with laughter.

Tasuki's head shot up and his eyes went wide. "WHAT!? It ain't like that, damnit!" He reached over and grabbed Nuriko's collar and growled at him.

"Ya hentai bastard! It ain't like that!" he repeated as he shook Nuriko, his face losing all color. "It ain't like that..." Tasuki's violent shaking of Nuriko slowed and stopped as his voice lost it's vehemence. "Believe me. It is NOT like that. Kouji'd kill me if he heard you say something like that. DON'T say a WORD!"

Gasping for air as he was freed, Nuriko regained his composure and put on his best concubine smile. "Poor Bandit-chan. No one is there to dump him into cold water when he sees Miaka. Whatever will he do?"

Tasuki sighed and shook his head, glad that Nuriko seemed content to forget the whole incident. He pulled his mount to a halt, turning away from Nuriko.

"You better hope that Mits c'n keep 'em from fuckin' each other int'next week! Kouji ain't never had t'control himself, that's why I'm worried!"


	14. Chapter 13

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Hakko, Konan; night

The forsaken blood of the dead slithered up through the earth, soaking the ground with a crimson glow, and dying the roses red. A moonlit shadow ripped a fresh flower up by its roots and pressed it to thirsty lips. Stepping down from the top of a broken tombstone, Miboshi twirled the thorny stem between her fingers. She pricked open fresh wounds to mingle her life force with those that came to greet her. The mark of Seiryuu's chosen, the glowing blue symbol for 'Basket', snaked around her belly button.

Wouldn't the dragon god of war be happy to see her here, in Konan, giving the useless people of the world a purpose? Her friends hadn't been out to play in such a very long time. It wouldn't do to start in a big city like the capital. No, no. That would be best left to the destined time, when her constellation aligned with the others of her kind. When the mysterious god child of the other world arrived. That time was nearly upon them.

She had been on her way to the country of her birth, following the scent of power, when she happened upon this sleepy farming village. So peaceful. So worthless. So revolting. It was Seiryuu's blessing upon this town that she took pity on them. They would become important actors in her play. Their piddling lives would provide a bit of amusement and exercise for her 'circle'. What more could anyone ask for?

Bringing her hands apart, the rose continued to dance in midair between her fingers. Demon beasts, part wolf and part man, clawed their way up from the depths. They stretched their aching muscles. Blood-caked dirt fell to the ground as they unfolded their expansive black wings.

Each looked to her expectantly.

A half-smirk slid across her face.

"You know what to do," she chimed.

Mighty howls shook the night sky, and the hungry monsters took flight as their mistress faded into the dark.

It was the only warning the town of Hakko would have.

***

The night air was cool on his skin. Sou had been asleep until a strange dream woke him up and his eyes refused to shut again. Now he was sitting outside his front door staring out at the sleeping village. He missed his old town. The way everyone greeted you when you walked by, how someone could watch the lives of their neighbors play out as if they were close friends; The atmosphere of his quiet hometown was so amazingly different from the noise of the capital.

Crossing his arms behind his head, Sou slumped back onto the wall and sighed. Leaving here had proved almost futile. What little money he was able to make in Eiyou was taken from him before being thrown in jail. On his way back he had stopped at a few towns to pick up some more coins, but they could hardly afford his low price. Sou wasn't even entirely sure about the reason he had decided it was time to come home since he had made so little to bring back, but something kept him thinking about this village. Still, being back here was like a healing balm for his heart.

When Sou stepped into the doorway, nothing could replace the loving looks he was greeted with. In that second it didn't matter how long he had been away, it was like he had never left. He couldn't help the beaming smile that appeared. He enjoyed cooking dinner with them again and helping Chuei take care of their father. Tonight he had read to Yuiren till she was sleeping soundly. Gyokuran, Shunkei and Chuei all fell asleep soon after. Kissing them all on the forehead and making sure Yuiren's covers were pulled up close to her chin, he headed off to bed himself.

He had fallen asleep faster than he expected at such an early time, and then his dreams turned to dark nightmares.

Now in the cool of the evening, the memories of the dream were fading. He could only recall a bright flash of red light that had been consumed by a murky darkness, and screaming. Even as a fading memory it left him feeling unsettled. Then, out of the night, a blood-curdling scream rose up. Sou jolted to his feet and tried to search the dark for the source of the scream. A red tint fell over the village; the moon was glowing with the color of blood. People filed out of their houses, and lamps were lit inside bedrooms. At that moment he saw them, the twisted creatures, dripping blackness. They moved lightning fast, snaking over the ground. The creatures were on the people in seconds flat, crushing the life out of one, tearing limbs from another. The ground quickly was stained the color of the moon as it shoved the still warm flesh into its mouth.

In the short time it took for the stun to wear away and his body to start moving, people he knew his whole life were torn apart. Sou ran towards the first of the creatures he saw, an intense red glow of his own emanating from his forehead. His foot ripped through the sludge that made the thing's head. Screaming, it stumbled back and let go of the person it was holding. He caught the ground on his hands and spun around low to sweep the creature off its feet. The thing turned its attention on Sou and sped towards him, the rip in its face closing up with threads of oil. Two more closed in on him, one from above. He jumped up, his uppercut catching the flying monster in its throat. It faltered and flapped to the ground, as claws raked across Sou's back.

***

Tasuki and Nuriko had been traveling all day and had barely reached the outskirts of a small town when full night had fallen. They had set up camp rather than going into town and looking for an inn. Tasuki had shed his coat and tessen holster and was bickering with Nuriko over what to cook over their small camp fire when the first scream pierced the still of the night.

Tasuki's head shot up and he cocked an ear towards the town, "Nuriko-chan, ya hear that? Sounds like screamin'. You stay here, I'm gonna check it out."

Nuriko shook his head and got up. "No chance. I'm going with you."

Hefting his tessen holster back on, Tasuki and Nuriko mounted the horse and made their way to the town. They had gotten no more than twenty feet when the screams gained force.

"Shit!" Tasuki growled as he kicked his horse into a gallop, freeing his tessen as he neared the town.

The sight that greeted him was by far the most grotesque thing he had ever seen.

Twisted black beasts with wings the color of night shredded and tore through people like paper dolls. The screams of the victims halted abruptly to die off in a gurgle of blood.

A woman screamed to his left and he charged his ki, feeding the spell he was about to loose.

"LREKKA SHIN'EN!" He screamed, fanning the flames at the beast who was busily devouring the woman alive.

The flames died down, and the beast was ash but so was the woman he was trying to save. "Godsdamnit!" He screamed as he looked up and saw that a mass of the big and uglies were swirling around a shadowy form that blazed a red light.

Tasuki leapt from his horse, and cocked the tessen back over his shoulder. "Get th' fuck down!" He cried, as he neared the red glow.

"LREKKA SHIN'EN!"

Nuriko could feel his strength building in preparation for a fight. His mark burned hot beneath the dress he wore. When he caught a glimpse of a bright reddish glow engulfed by the demons, he cracked his knuckles.

"What is that thing!?" He yelled over the noise.

The remaining beasts looked up from their feast with blood-stained muzzles when flames singed the fur of their pack. Their animal instinct was to recoil in fear. Their fur stood on end, and low growls rolled through their throats.

The shadow-dancer watched silently.

_What is this? Have the main characters finally arrived? That man with the symbol on his forehead... yes, he must be a Suzaku seishi._

Miboshi flashed a wicked grin seen by none.

The blessed of Suzaku could provide much more entertainment in the long run if kept alive. But what of the redhead? A simple bandit? Or another of the phoenix god's ilk? It was obvious that his power came from the item he held in his hands, but she had a sense about him, an intuition, and she was never wrong. Suzaku Seishi or no, it would do no good to have him burning her dear playthings to death. He would need to be eliminated.

She targeted the wolf-beasts with a mental message.

_Take down the fire-user! But let no villager escape!_

As if pulled by invisible strings, the wolf men renewed their attack, this time directed at he who controlled the fire.

Two sunk their claws into the sides of the poor farmhouses and climbed onto the rooftops. Together they spread their midnight wings and leapt for the bandit. Meanwhile, on solid ground, the one monster who had survived the initial attack limped toward him, slobbering with rage.

Three others rose from their meals, dark eyes directed at the man with the fan.

The remaining demons scattered to pick off the easy prey. Crashing through doors, crushing bones, tearing innocents from their families, and consuming them while their kin awaited a similar fate.

Miboshi licked the blood from her finger, lying in wait for her cue.

Almost as if his shout had called the beasts, they turned and converged on Tasuki. He back-peddled slightly to slow his momentum and brought his tessen around, gripping it in both hands like a sword.

The beasts were on him before he could blink, giving him almost no time to channel his ki into his flame throwing weapon. He swung the tessen in a wide arc, slashing at the creatures closest to him in an attempt to gain a little room.

The beasts leapt back as if expecting the flames that had come before to singe their dingy fur. Their wariness gave Tasuki the one moment he needed to encircle his body in flame.

"LREKKA SHIN'EN!" He screamed as he fanned the flames at the nearest of the beasts and darted through the opening, using his Gods given speed to put a safer distance between himself and the big and uglies.

"SHIT! What th' hell are these fuckers?! Okami mononoke or some shit?" He muttered under his breath as the beasts lunged at him once again. His flames might be useless at close range but he was still faster than these beasts...

Or so he thought.

Blinding pain ripped through him from the left side of his shoulder, across his back and down to his right hip, tearing his thin shirt and spilling copious amounts of blood onto the well worn dirt path.

"FUCK!" he swore as he turned and swung the tessen at his attacker, squelching through its seemingly gelatinous head before the stringy pieces slid and pulled back together. Another claw ripped through the front portion of his shirt, nicking the skin of his belly as he turned to run.

His shirt was in tatters and so he pulled the pieces of fabric from his body and flung it at one of the beasts, momentarily blinding it and giving him a small opening through which to dart away again.

He was tiring quickly; his vision beginning to haze towards darkness but he shook it off and braced himself for another go.

"LREKKA SHIN'EN!" He yelled as the beasts converged on him once again.

_'Shit! It ain't gonna be enough!'_ He thought as the beasts swarmed around him, the glow of his kanji slowly being swallowed by darkness.

Nuriko, still atop the horse, gasped in horror as the demons suddenly changed tactics. They attacked the bandit with extreme aggression and speed. It was almost as if they were being led by some dominant force. He jumped down and worked his way towards Tasuki, tossing and punching the demons as they lunged at him.

"Tasuki!" Nuriko yelled as several of the beasts blocked him from the fiery seishi. "Tasuki, get out of there! They're gonna-"

All of a sudden, Nuriko felt something tear at his own shoulder and heard blood splattered the already crimson soil below. Sucking in a sharp breath, he turned, eying his aggressor. Several of the demons began to close around him in an arc but Nuriko smirked, cracking his knuckles again.

"You want a taste of me now, too?" He called out to them as they hissed in unison, their sharp voices piercing the night. There was a low growl and then they pounced. His divine mark was burning his skin as he gathered his strength and batted them away, shoving several of them into each other. Scrambling up and over their bodies, Nuriko watched in horror as Tasuki was being swarmed, enclosed by darkness.

"TASUKI!" Nuriko yelled as he kicked at another ambushing wolf monster, sending it flying a few dozen yards or so. "TASUK-"

He was cut short by sharp, curved claws embedding themselves in his back, ripping away his flesh.

Slammed to the ground to the ground by the tentacle that held his ankle, Sou hit the dirt hard. For what seemed like forever his lungs refused to breath and white starbursts stacked in his vision.

Still gasping for breath, he heard the roar of fire from beyond the demons encircling him. Panic washed over him. Even if his family had stayed safe from the monsters, they would be burned to death by whatever creature was doing that. Wild fury engulfed his mind and he stood, hunched and wobbling, to face the demons again. The only thought shouting in his head was to clear a path to run to his family's side.

His fist came crashing down on the monster holding him. A voice shouted something and then he felt flames surround him.

Without warning, the monsters turned away from him. He didn't pause to wonder why, his thoughts were centered on his siblings and his father, unable to move or protect themselves.

He moved as fast as he could with his body bruised and bleeding. His house wasn't that far away but Gods it felt like it took an eternity to get there. A bright flicker of heat caught his attention from the corner of his eye. What lit up in that split second of flame stopped his heart. The door to his house had been ripped open, the shutters torn off their hinges. Then the sounds reached his ears, sounds of screaming and guttural howls. His mind went completely numb, his body moved on its own, racing the last few steps to his home, his back leaving a dripping trail behind him.

Flying through the doorway, he got there in time to see Chuei hit the wall of the house, tossed aside by one of two creatures cornering his siblings. His father lay on the floor halfway between the bed he was confined to and the group of children.

Fear quickly turning to anger, a battle cry escaped Sou's lips. He rushed in and slammed his knee into the monster's beak-like face.

"Run! Run get out of here!" His voice shrieked to his huddled siblings.

Miboshi's interest peaked as the downtrodden hero raced for one of the squat village homes.

_I see... the hero has a supporting cast._

Oh, the excitement! What would he do if he lost these oh so precious family members? Would she get to see just what he was capable of?

_Everyone who is not fighting the flame-wielder, surround the home beneath the beacon, and kill everyone inside!_

Chuei, with his younger siblings in tow, threw open the door and rushed them outside, only to find more of those terrifying creatures. He grabbed Yuiren's hand and ran for an opening but just as he reached it, another winged wolf-demon landed before him. Instinctively, he threw Yuiren behind himself, as the demon slashed him open from his face to his chest.

"CHUEI!" Yuiren screamed.

Chuei fell heavily to the ground. He pressed his palms into the ground, trying to push himself up with wobbly arms. He didn't want to have to rely on Nii-san, but his body wouldn't listen. Everything was turning black. He shook his head to clear it.

"Run..." he said, before his head hit the ground.

But there was nowhere for the others to run. The demons were swiftly upon them. Yuiren managed to slip back into the house, tears gushing down her cheeks.

"Nii-chan, nii-chan! Chuei--Chuei is...!"

A single rose spun silently atop the condemned home's roof.

The cry of a child drew Tasuki's attention away from the blackness engulfing him, firing his determination to win.

He couldn't just stand there and let death take him!

With a fierce roar he drew the tessen up and over his head, angling it to point straight down and thrust it into the ground at his feet. "LREKKA SHIN'EN!" He screamed, collapsing to his knees as if in prayer.

Flames burst to life around him, blowing away the beasts surrounding his kneeling form in a gout of raw fire. A ring of ruby power surrounded him, protecting him from both flame and advancing demons.

Golden eyes slitted open, looking for any beasts that might be lingering nearby. Spotting Nuriko in the distance near one of the ravaged homes, he dispersed the flames and got to his feet, his tessen firmly in his grip.

"Oi! Nuriko, what th' fuck are ya-"

Miboshi's eyes lit up with glee as one of her beasts tore through the child's flesh. Unfortunately, her joy was short-lived, as the fan-wielder decided at that moment to light up the scene in a different way.

Her eyes zeroed in on the weapon in his hands. That would just have to go.

Mildly displeased, she brushed her hair off her shoulder and disappeared from her position atop the roof. Though she was loathe to do it, she appeared in full form. She watched her target from the shadows for the opportune time. This was such a loathsome way of doing things, but it would be far more efficient than trying to wrest the item from his hands.

With a feigned cry of panic, Miboshi ran for the man whose hair shone like fire in the red moonlight. She rammed into his side, dazing him enough to slip the fan out of his hands as he came crashing to the ground. Moments later, she returned to the safety of the shadows.

It was then a simple matter of casting a glamour on a mid-sized rock in the image of the fan. The buffoon would go straight for it.

Tasuki's words were interrupted as a fragile woman came careening out of the darkness, plowing him over in her fright only to vanish into the darkness again.

"Godsdamned woman! I fuckin' hate women, ya rude bitch!" He ranted as he got to his feet once again, rubbing his abused backside.

She cocked an eyebrow. This was an intriguing fact that could be used to her advantage later. That is, if she decided to keep him around. Based on his reactions thus far, if he could be kept under control, it might be worth it.

She tapped the fire-fan lightly on her palm, then held its folded edge just below her lower lip. He'd been screaming 'Lrekka Shi'nen' just before a burst of flame. That must be the incantation. She gave herself a wicked grin.

What fun it would be to see him try to squeeze fire from a rock.

Tasuki moved his right hand to re-sheathe his tessen when he noticed that it was gone. He figured he had dropped it when that woman had bowled him over and turned in a wide circle looking for the holy artifact.

Hands on his hips and a frown on his face, he spotted a glimmer of silver next to a small tree. He walked over, scooped up the tessen and put it back in it's holster which had, miraculously, survived being clawed by the demons.

A low growl reached his ears and the scent of death filled his nostrils as he turned.

It was time for round two... he just hoped he would survive it.

He pulled the tessen free of its holster and held it in front of him, pointing the end at the advancing beast.

"LREKKA SHIN'EN!" He screamed and waited for the flames to erupt from the end.

And waited... the beast moving ever closer.

Tasuki frowned and tried again, "LREKKA SHIN'EN!" and again the spell didn't work. _'What th' hell? Why ain't it workin'?'_

The beast roared and leapt at him, forcing him to dodge to the side in order to avoid being disemboweled by the razor sharp claws that had a taste for his blood.

He spun and tried one last time to make his weapon work and when it didn't he growled and tossed the useless object to the dirt.

"Fuckin' woman!" He screamed, running back towards the center of town. "Where th' hell are ya?! Gimme back my fuckin' Tessen you bitch!"

He searched through a few broken down houses, stepping around corpses and staying out of sight of the few beasts that still remained. After having looked into four houses and checking up and down the street Tasuki finally snapped.

"You bitch! Ya better not lemme find ya else I'll rip yer tits off an' fuckin' feed 'em to ya! _FUCKIN' WOMEN! GODSDAMNIT!_"

He stood in the middle of town, screaming to the sky and drawing the last of the beasties to him.

He was going to rip them apart with his bare hands and then he would find the bitch...

***

Nuriko turned at the child's scream, recognizing the little girl in an instant.

_Those are the little kids from when we passed through here with Miaka! Crap! The older one is hurt!_

He slammed his fist into a row of the demons, sending them flying a fair distance away. He wasn't as fast as Tasuki, but he raced towards the fallen child. Demons converged near the boy, ready to tear him apart, when Nuriko leapt into the fray, knocking the creatures this way and that, his energy focused on protecting the youngster.

The pain from his wound was sharp, but bearable. Nuriko could feel the blood seeping through his clothing, drying slowly as the cool night's breeze caught the fabric. Before the creatures could recover from the blows, the seishi turned and gently scooped up the child in his arms before bolting for the door to the house that the little girl had escaped into.

There was a scream and after that everything seemed to slow down and silence. Sou turned towards the sound, saw Yuiren come through the door. He caught a glimpse of his brother collapsed outside. His sister's mouth was moving but he couldn't hear her words through the silence the pounded in his ears.

The monster gouged its claws through his turned back and he began to fall. He saw Yuiren tilt along with the rest of the world. Somehow his mind didn't understand it was he who was falling, not her.

"Yu…"

His own voice seemed to come from far away as he tried to tell her to run or hide. He hit the ground and the slowness was halted in an explosion of pain. Suddenly everything was speeding to catch up the lost time. One of the wolf-demons grabbed Sou by the neck and lifted him into the air. His vision began to shift and blur as he grappled with the claw around his neck.

Yuiren stood frozen still in the doorway staring helplessly up at her older brother. Their brother who was supposed to protect them, their brother who was completely useless when it counted. A pain worse than the one in his body erupted in his heart.

As small red dots constricted his vision, a hazy purple slammed open the door carrying something he couldn't make out.

Nuriko watched with wide eyes as a wolf demon snapped up a young man by the neck, a hiss emitting from its fanged maw. He carefully laid the little boy down on the ground beside the frightened little girl in front of her who was gaping at what appeared to be an older sibling about to be eaten.

Shoving the little girl aside, Nuriko lunged at the beast, elbowing it in the gut. It let go of its prey and turned in time for him to tackle it to the ground. Pulling back a bloody fist, he slammed it into the creature's head with a sickening crack. The monster snarled and hissed, its claws digging into the seishi's back. Nuriko fought back with all his might. He hurled another fist at the demon, shattering what was left of its skull.

The creature slowly ceased moving, but Nuriko punched it a couple more times for good measure before letting out a pained groan. He fell back against the wooden planks of the flooring, his vision somewhat cloudy. As blood seeped through the torn ribbons of his dress, his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out.

As soon as he felt the grip loosen, Sou fell to the floor. He managed to put his hand out to catch himself and his balance. He blinked once to get his vision back on track and reached for Yuiren.

"Get on my back, quickly!" She reached out and clasped her hands around her brother's neck. He winced a bit as she touched the pealing skin from before. Sou looked around, "Where is Shunkei and Gyokuran?" he slipped his arms around Chuei and lifted him gently.

Chuei stirred, one eye slitting open through the blood beginning to cake over it. "..they... out... still... I have to..." The small voice tried desperately to speak but trailed off and his eye closed again. Biting back the pain and breathing hard even under the slight weight of his brother and littlest sister, Sou set his eyes on the door and stood up.

"Nii-chan, what about Daddy and her?" Sou glanced back and saw the two slumped figures. His father was lying in the same position he had been in when he first came through the door. Sou couldn't tell her yet that he was not breathing anymore. The other figure was someone he had never seen in town before but the purple hair told him it was the same person who had come running through the door moments earlier, the one who must have fought off the beast who was holding him. But she was an adult, and if she could fight off one monster she had a better chance of surviving alone than his siblings. He looked away, trying to forget what he was about to do and kicked open the door.

Just outside the door was a sight he had never wanted to ever have to witness. Gyokuran and Shunkei were lying collapsed on one another, neither of them moving, in a puddle of both their blood. Two beasts stood over them

A hand shot up to cover Yuiren's eye's "Don't look Yuiren, close your eyes." Cradling Chuei to his chest so he could reach out with the other hand, his mind called out to them, Shunkei, Gyokuran....

The two beasts turned at his voice. One swiped at him with it's giant paw, the other opened its blood-stained mouth and chomped down. Sou jumped straight up, avoiding claws by only a few inches with the extra weight on him. When the teeth came, he brought his heel down hard on its snout, slamming its jaw closed. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he said a silent goodbye and jumped over the back of the second beast, using the thing's own mouth as a stepping stool.

There was a growing coldness in the pit of his stomach as he landed. The world seemed in darkness now. He ran, ran as far away as he could run to safety. He ran with the images of his brother and sister haunting his steps.

***

Tasuki walked through the now silent town. He had ripped apart the last four of the demon wolves that had terrorized this sleepy little village with his bare hands and a lone boot dagger.

He was exhausted beyond anything he could ever remember but he wasn't done yet. Blood worked sluggishly out of the massive tears in his back and shoulder, new scars to add to his already whip marked back, caked with dirt and the black ooze that had come spurting out of the demon beasts as he tore them limb from limb.

He stumbled back to the broken down home that he had last seen Nuriko near and fell against the broken doorway, gasping for breath and fighting off the black haze that clouded the edges of his vision.

"N-Nuriko?" he called, his voice horse and breaking on the 3 syllable word of his friend's name. "Ya here?"

A soft groan from a far corner caught his attention, he staggered and lurched towards the sound. He found Nuriko lying on his back in a small puddle of blood. Dropping to his knees, Tasuki checked over the pretty seishi, searching for life threatening wounds. Finding that his friend was suffering only from overexertion and a bit of blood loss, Tasuki hefted Nuriko up to rest against his chest and staggered towards the doorway, his head spinning and his shoulder connecting roughly with the edge of the broken door.

He closed his eyes as he had to step around the bodies of two small children laying in a pool of their own blood. He could live with anything except the thought of children being hurt. He promised those two babies that he'd be back to put them to rest as soon as he got Nuriko fixed up. "I'll be back chibis, I swear."

He could see their camp fire winking in the distance and drew a deep breath as he made his way back there with Nuriko's body slung across the back of their horse. He led the horse by the reigns as quickly as he could muster, falling to his knees every few steps but doggedly getting back to his feet leaving small trickles of blood in his wake.

Once he reached the camp he all but collapsed onto his bed roll and set Nuriko down, rolling the other seishi onto his stomach.

He gently peeled away the ripped and torn pieces of cloth that had stuck to the gaping gashes on Nuriko's back. He poured the last of the sake he had brought on the wounds to clean them and tore apart his last clean shirt to use for bandages.

Satisfied with the temporary fix, Tasuki got to his feet and staggered back to fulfill his promise to the two small children.

He found them just as he had left them, quiet and still. He gathered them both in his arms only to collapse on his side in the dirt, the lifeless children cradled against his chest protectively and their cooling blood mingling with his as he finally lost the fight to stay awake.

Sou had been running into the woods for a while before he finally turned around to look behind him. The trees hung in an eerie silence. He slowed his pace to a walk. Now that his adrenaline had calmed down the pain was back. His fingers were slick with Chuei's blood and it was making it hard to keep his grip. Yuiren held tightly to his neck and rested on his marred back.

He kneeled down and let her slide off, gritting his teeth against the sting. "We can walk from here, Yuiren." His voice was flat despite the warmth he tried to speak with. She took hold of both his sleeves and looked up at him with large watery eyes.

"Nii-chan? Where's Gyokuran and Shunkei? Are Daddy and them going to know where to find us?"

A steel hand gripped his heart. _She knows._ There was something in the way she said their names. Even as small as she was she must know somehow that they were never going to talk to her again. Her father was never going to hold her again.

"First we have to get your brother some help, ok?" He tried a smile for her sake. He took her hand and stood up to look around. The once familiar trees were all ghostly in the moonlight. At least that had returned to its normal pale glow. The nearest village would be about a days journey the way he was progressing and he needed help now.

Sou cocked an ear to the wind and listened. That eerie quiet was his only answer. He heard no more howls, no more screams. His town had been silenced for good. In the distance he could make out the flickering of a campfire. If there were people there he might be able to leave Chuei and Yuiren safely while he went back to town and searched for some medical supplies. The faces that had haunted his steps as he ran returned to him in a heartbeat and he closed his eyes. They deserved a proper resting place. Tears caught in his throat and he forced them down.

_Just a little while longer. Be strong for a little bit more, just until Yuiren is safe, then you can let go._

Sou gripped Yuiren's hand tighter and made his way towards the fire.

It's funny how some things seem to happen, like a play. When he reached the fire, the last person he had expected to see was the woman he had left back at his house. How did she make it there first? The campsite must have been freshly visited. There were white strips of cloth being stained with fresh blood on this person's back and a trail of blood leading to one of the other sleep packs that lay spread around the fire. He hesitated then placed Chuei down on the unused sleep mat. He slipped out of his coat, now stained with blood, and took off his white shirt underneath. Quickly tearing it to make bandage strips, he wrapped a few around Chuei's eye and neck. They wouldn't last long, but it would have to do.

Next he leaned over the woman and placed his hand on her cheek. "Hey, are you able to hear me?" He wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing by waking her up, but he couldn't just leave his sister here alone to watch her brother bleed to death.

Nuriko groaned as he felt something warm touch his cheek. His eyes fluttered open slowly but a haze clouded his vision. It was like being very dizzy. He sat up slowly and held onto his head, trying to sort out where he was.

"Where's Tasuki?"

The village was devastated, three of her five targets destroyed, and two unexpected meddlers were taken care of. The rose paused and spun the opposite direction. The remaining wolf men trudged back from whence they came, picking bits of human from their blood-stained teeth.

Miboshi stalked through the woods silently, peering out at her prey like a wild cat. The child of Suzaku and his two attachments. One looked about half-dead. That was one half too little.

They approached a dying campfire, beside which laid the purple-haired one from the village. How had she gotten here? Could she have dragged herself back here to die? Not that it really mattered, as long as she did, indeed, die.

Miboshi weighed her options. She could leave this mess to play out on its own, or she could stay and watch it unfold awhile. In particular, the young man with the blue-green hair was of interest, as his tragedy was only just beginning. Oh the angst. Oh the misery. Her lips curled into a delicious smile.

She adjusted her long, flowing silk clothing and placed her golden headdress upon her soft dark hair. For added assurance, she ripped and dirtied up her robes and mussed up her hair just a bit.

Out of the woods stumbled a gorgeous woman, out of breath and beside herself with fear. At the sight of the valiant hero, bent over a fallen comrade, she ran to his side and fell against him.

"Oh, it's terrible! I was only passing through on my way home, and... so many innocent people! Those… those monsters! Please, please protect me..." Miboshi simpered.

Sou smiled when Ms. Purple-Hair fluttered her eyes and groaned a bit. At least she was conscious. Then, he heard a cry in the woods and only had time to retract his hand from purple-hair's face before a woman came crashing down into him.

Almost immediately he felt his protective instincts switch on. Sou brought down his hand, which had been frozen in a gesture of surprise, to rest it gently on her head.

"Hush, calm down. They've gone now." He smoothed out the mussed dark hair. "You'll be safe with us."

"Oh, thank you, thank you so much..." Miboshi visibly relaxed under the man's gentle touch.

The woman looked up at him with wide frightened eyes. She was pale and shaking. She was also stunning, even the way the tears shimmered in her eyes. Sou could feel a light blush rising to his cheeks. Thankfully purple-hair bolted upright at that moment and broke the beautiful woman's stare. Sou quickly looked away from the woman in his arms and set his gaze on Nuriko.

"You're pretty tough you know, holding your own against those beasts. Are you going to pull through?" He cocked his head toward the bandages growing more and more red. "Your friend must have dragged you back here and left." He took the frightened woman gently by the shoulders and set her to sit by the fire.... off of him. "He probably went to do what I need to do, get some real medical supplies for the injured we have here." He looked into woman number 2's eyes. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Miboshi sat on the grass before the quietly smoldering embers. The low flame's reflection simmered in her amber eyes as she kept her gaze on her protector.

Miboshi shook her head slightly in response to his question, "No, I'm unhurt," she said.

"But these people, this little boy... are they--?"

_One could only wish. Ah, well. All things in time._

She made as if to touch the injured boy, but then retracted her hand for fear of harming him, "If we can get him back home, maybe the doctors could help him..."

Sou watched as the woman reached out to Chuei and recoiled. He set his gaze on Chuei, who was looking worse by the minute.

"I need help, but I can't risk bringing him back there. I don't know if all the beasts have gone and I can go faster if he stays here." He explained. "I know it's asking a lot, but could you watch him till I get back?" He directed this question to both women.

Yuiren pulled on his sleeve. "Nii-chan," She whispered softly.

Sou put a hand on his little sister's head and smiled. "They'll watch over you too, ok?" Brushing away the wisps of bangs, he kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back."

He stood up and looked down at the two he just put in charge of the most precious thing left in his life. "I'm expecting them to be in good hands," He said, half-pleading half-accusing. With that he ran off into the woods towards his destroyed town.

_Please, Suzaku, protect them while I'm away._

He prayed silently to the heavens.

Nuriko watched the moonlight dance across of the face of the beautiful woman and he couldn't help but wonder how she had survived the hellish nightmare, in one piece no less! She was very beautiful, far too stunning to be one of the village girls that lived in these regions. How come she hadn't been chosen to become part of the Emperor's harem? How had such beauty been passed by?

His back felt like it had been torn into a million little pieces. He needed to keep talking to stay awake until the other man returned with medical supplies. "What's your name? How did you survive the demons without a single scratch?"

Brushing a strand of his hair away from his own cheek, Nuriko stared down the woman, wondering how he could have been so injured as a seishi when this ordinary woman wore only the battle wounds made up of dirt and smudges.

Miboshi looked about skittishly once their protector had left. The little girl she'd been charged to look after stuck close to her brother's side. The purple-haired one looked to be having a time of it just trying to sit up straight. The latter broke the awkward silence.

"My name is Zhen Ji, daughter of Zhen Xi," she explained, as if it were part of her training.

"When I heard the screams, I hid right away. It was so terrible... cramped in that crate, listening to the screaming and the growling and..." Ji closed her eyes and raised a shaking hand to her cheek to catch a falling tear.

"I thought for sure they'd notice me, and I heard one right outside, with its horrible smell, but suddenly, they all turned away... and when they did, I took my chance to run into the woods."

She tilted her head to the side, peering at Nuriko's open wounds.

"It's amazing you survived! You must be very strong," she said.

_Much too strong to be any normal human._

At this moment, Yuiren stared off towards her village.

"Nii-chan... What if Nii-chan doesn't come back? What if the monsters get him?" she began to cry.

***

The world seemed to fade and sharpen as Tasuki blinked open his eyes. His back was on fire and his head ached but he couldn't move to get up. He couldn't force his limbs to shift even slightly.

Tasuki's eyes widened as he realized that there was a weight against his chest and struggled to look down. There, like sleeping angels, were the children he had intended to return to the earth after they had been viciously murdered.

Tears welled in his eyes and he squeezed the babies closer to his chest, almost as if he held them tight enough, close enough, they might breathe again.

His vision hazed again and he gave himself up to the painless darkness once again.

When Sou arrived at his doorstep he was first struck with hope, then panic, then anger at thinking his siblings to have been perhaps alive but not finding them where he'd left them. Then he saw a strange orange-haired man with them in his arms. What was he trying to do? He must have tried to move them to where they could get help and got killed by trying to do it. His silent thanks went out to the stranger.

He walked over to the three collapsed on the ground and his composure snapped. Tears were falling and he couldn't hold them back any longer. He picked up his siblings and carried them nestled against his chest to a spot not too far off, near the tree line. He came back and dragged his father out from the house where he had fallen trying to protect his children with the last ounce of mobility he had. Trying to do his work quickly, he leaned the three against a tree and told them to be patient a little longer. When he came back the third time he decided to add one more to his family plot. He picked up the stranger's body and walked him over to the graves he had dug for his family.

Sou took care of his family first. He buried them each next to each other, saying prayers over each grave. The ground was soaked with his tears. He kneeled, no longer able to stand, at the foot of the graves and leaned over to bring the stranger to his final resting place.

Quiet sobs brought Tasuki back to waking, his amber eyes slitting open slowly. His vision was hazy still, but he struggled to keep his eyes open.

A fuzzy form knelt nearby, the source of the sobbing. Tasuki's head fell to the side and he was able to look at the person more fully from beneath his lashes.

A dark haired angel wept over three fresh graves before turning and reaching for him.

It was then that he knew he was dead.

His limbs felt like they were filled with stone when he tried to move them to escape the Angel of Death that had come for him.

He tried to speak, to reason with the angel, to make the angel see that he wasn't ready to leave this earth just yet... but all that escaped was a soft whimper.

His voice was horse and low, almost too low to hear, but he hoped -_prayed_- that it was enough to spare him.

"Angel..."

Sou's world was filled with the sounds of his agony and despair. Through his tears he barely saw the man's head fall to the side and the gold eyes slit open. Picking him up in his arms and treating him with the same gentle care his departed family received, Sou placed the fallen man in the freshly dug grave.

The moon glowed fiercely behind him, outlining his shadowy figure with silvery moonlight. It gave the graves the surreal shimmer his mind was still trying to comprehend.

Sobs caught in Sou's throat. The choked sounds almost sounded like another voice. He started pushing the soft dirt back into the grave. Had he heard someone speak the word angel? Wishful thinking.

Soft earth covered Tasuki's legs, the angel pushing dirt over him to bury him in a shallow grave.

His eyes snapped open as he realized he wasn't dead.

"I-I'm not-" a handful of dirt plopped down on his face, cutting off his words. He turned his head and sluggishly spat out the mouthful of dirt. "I-I ain't dead..." still his voice was a whisper and the grave was filling fast.

Sou's brain was on auto pilot. Pick up dirt, choke on a sob, throw dirt in grave. His body refused to feel anything further. The hurt was still too close. It came rushing in to him from too many angles at once, burying him in his own grave of pain.

The words floated up from the grave, sounding muddy and muffled.

Sou blinked and halted his cycle, slowly coming out of the fog inside his head. Someone had said something. Thoughts of his freshly packed graves sprouting hands that were attached to deformed, red-eyed demons of what used to be his family sprung to life in his vulnerable imagination. Bringing his head closer to the grave he was working on filling, Sou peeked cautiously over the edge. His heartbeat pounding in his ears.

Tasuki's heartbeat sped up as he realized he was going to be buried alive and adrenaline pumped through his body, giving him one spurt of strength.

He sat up and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"I ain't dead!"

The dirt-covered flame-haired undead guy shot up out of the grave. Sou launched himself back a few feet, a horrified scream slipping from his lips. His heart nearly stopped while his mind replayed what had just happened until he could understand. Still he sat, sprawled backwards on the ground, speechless and staring into the face of what still looked like a halfway-dead-guy.

"What are you doing sitting up?" He finally shouted. Sou couldn't really understand why that was the first thing to come out of his mouth, given the situation.

Tasuki stared at the angel for a minute, trying to decide if the pretty man he was looking at was indeed an angel or if he was human. The man was sitting back on the grass, looking for all the world as if he had just seen a ghost.

Tasuki almost laughed at the shock written on the man's face; he probably DID think he had just seen a ghost! _HIM!_

"You were gonna fuckin' BURY me! A'course I sat up! Ya think I wanna be buried alive!?" He growled back, putting his hands behind him to brace his weight and winced. His back and shoulder were killing him and his spurt of adrenaline was fast wearing off.

Sou was trying to regain his composure when the redhead started shouting at him. He didn't know what about this guy made him start to feel angry, but he almost immediately jumped up, pointing a finger in his face.

"How was I supposed to tell you were alive? You have blood leaking out of every part of your body, you were collapsed and it didn't look like you were breathing." He rattled off the reasons he had dragged him here in the first place.

"Look," he gasped as his vision swam again and his elbows trembled. "I got a campsite not too far off in th' woods..." His elbows buckled and he fell back to rest on them, his breathing coming in great gasping breaths. "My friend, Nuriko, is there. He's hurt but should be okay... Can ya help me get back t'camp?"

The darkness swirled in front of his eyes again and with a groan he collapsed to his back, his breathing hitching at the pain the action added to his already pain leaden body.

Sou listened as Mr. Undead explained about the campsite in the woods. Figuring it was probably the one he had found. How many people could this village possibly have camping in the surrounding woods right now? Why was today playing out like this? How many coincidences was that?

"I think I found your..." He was cut short when the redhead groaned and began to fall. In the space of a heartbeat, Sou's instincts kicked in and he lunged to catch him. "Let's get you back to your camp. But first," He set the boy against a tree, recalling why he had come here, "I need to pick up a few things." His eyes grew dark and he was immediately drained of his emotion as he turned towards the medical house.

Tasuki blinked and the angel/man was gone. At least, he thought he'd only blinked. He had only closed his eyes for a moment hadn't he?

He shook off the looping thoughts and sat forward with great effort, looking around for the angel/man who had been yelling at him just a few moments ago. Finding no one, he sighed and slumped forward on his hands and knees and tried to crawl away.

The pain was horrendous but if he wanted to make it back to Nuriko and his camp he had no choice but to deal with it; his only other option had left him laying against a tree to die as far as he knew.

He could feel the dried and scabbed-over wounds on his back crack and bleed anew, the blood running in rivulets down his sides and arms to pool around his fingers and drip to the ground, leaving a trail of red in his wake.

He hadn't gotten very far when his arms gave out again, leaving him sprawled about ten feet from the tree in a bloody mess. Tasuki groaned and tried again to get back up; he felt humiliated at having to crawl but could not see himself making it to his feet long enough to get any distance.

He forced his weakening arms to carry his weight, making it another twenty feet before his body gave out again and he was hurled into painless darkness once more.

Getting the supplies Sou needed was easier than he thought. He returned with fresh bandages, some antiseptic, some thread, and ointment. He hoped it would be enough to at least get them to a place where real medical care could be given.

When he got back to where he had left the fallen stranger, he wasn't there anymore. Well, that wasn't entirely the case. It was more that he had moved about 20 feet from where he had put him down. Making a face, Sou walked up beside the freshly bleeding man. He walked over with his armful of supplies in silence, waiting for a reason as to why he had moved and, more importantly, why he felt the need to.

When he went a few moments without being noticed he spoke up. "Are you planning on dragging yourself the entire way?" There was no response. It seemed the fool had gone and hurt himself to the point of fainting again. Sou took off his coat, wrapped the supplies up in a bundle, and carried them on one arm. Crouching down, he slung the redhead's arm over his neck, supported his back with one arm and lifted his legs with the other.

Sou looked towards the graves and bowed his head. He offered one more silent prayer to Suzaku.

_Please, look over them._

Opening his eyes, Sou looked towards the woods. He had two siblings left, he needed to get back as quickly as possible and do his best… no, beyond his best to protect them.

When he looked down at the stranger, he felt close to him in an odd way. Maybe it was that he tried to protect his siblings while he couldn't, maybe this wasn't all just a coincidence.

Sou assured his grip on undead-red-haired-passed-out guy. "Baka," he whispered to the limp form, and took off in the direction he had come.

It wasn't too long before he got back. At the camp he placed the injured man in his arms next to his brother.

"I was able to find some supplies." He unwrapped the bundle and unwound Chuei's old bandages. "Yuiren, look away please?"

Sou attended to each one in the order that they needed treatment. Cleaning out his brother's wounds, he heard Chuei hiss in pain as he patted the disinfectant over the gashes.

Nuriko stared at the fire silently, his fist clenched. He was strong, he knew that, but if his superhuman strength didn't save him or Tasuki, did it mean he could protect Miaka if he had to? He watched the other boy return, dragging Tasuki along, and a wave of relief washed through him. At least his friend was still alive.

"Come over here and I'll see what I can do with this." Sou gestured for Nuriko to sit beside him.

Nodding, Nuriko managed to crawl over to him, collapsing in a heap at the man's feet.

"Thank you." Nuriko tried to ignore the pain while he waited his turn by staring back into the fire. "I'm Nuriko. What's your name?" He asked, trying to break the silence.

"My name's Sou," He answered in a flat voice as he continued his work. After bandaging up his brother, he moved on to the other unconscious one. "This is my younger brother Chuei, and she's Yuiren." He gestured to each of them as he made the monotone introductions.

He pointed at the person he was currently working on, "Tasuki, right?"

The sound of his name brought Tasuki fully awake from the half-sleep he had been suffering through. A groan of agony pulled from his lips as the disinfectant burned his tender back.

"S-shit... that…" He gasped, clenching his jaw. "That fuckin'.... s-s-stings."

He flinched away from the gentle touch of whomever was cleaning his back and bit back another groan of pain, his hands clenching at his sides.

A small hand lay against his head and a familiar face filled his vision. "Don't cry cousin, Nii-chan will make you better. He can make anyone better, isn't that right, Nii-chan?"

The little girl he had helped (along with her older brother) knelt at his side, her golden brown hair shining in the flickering firelight.

He gave her his best grin, "Hai, cousin, I'll try not t'cry. Hold my hand?"

Her face lit up and she smiled widely, happy to finally have a way to help out. "Of course I will, cousin! I'll always help family!" Her cheerful voice distracted him from the stinging of the ointment seeping into his wounds as her tiny hand settled into his larger one, gripping his hand as hard as she could. "Nii-chan will make you better, cousin. I promise."

He smiled at her again and squeezed her hand gently.

She wasn't so bad... for a girl.

Sou jerked back his hands from the wounds he was wrapping when Tasuki spoke. He should be out cold after how much blood he had lost. Sou was about to tell him to stay quiet when Yuiren spoke up. She had been sitting between Chuei and Tasuki watching over both with frightened concern in her eyes.

He quietly took care of Tasuki as Yuiren spoke to him. It seemed to stop the wincing. He wondered why she kept calling him 'cousin' like she knew him. Was this a relative he had never met? It would explain a few things, but that was impossible. He took a good long look at the stranger's face and tried to fit the pieces together. The hair was all wrong, face shape different, eyes all shifty, and those fangs were definitely not from his family line. Conclusion? Yuiren must have managed to find another one who couldn't bear to leave her side. He smiled at this as he moved on to victim number 3.

Ji watched the play unfold. She'd been sitting nearly motionless since Sou, as she'd recently discovered his name was, returned with the bloody fire-user.

Tasuki. Purple-hair had called him Tasuki. There was no doubt now, he was a soldier of Suzaku. There was two in one place. If her suspicions were correct then...

Oh how amusingly coincidental that they should all converge in one place. Seiryuu had quite a sense of humor.

She eyed Purple as they all joined the bandaging party. Unfortunately, all of her dear ones' work was going to waste. But there was a cloud to this silver lining. This just meant there was opportunity to do it all over again.

While they were preoccupied, a simple glance towards the woods transported the Tessen, hidden just out of sight, into the claws of one of her horde.

_Take this to Azazel,_ she instructed.

When she was certain he was too far away to be easily tracked, she drew attention back toward herself.

"Did-did you hear something?"

She shivered and held herself close.

Nuriko's eyes narrowed as the woman shivered. Something **was** amiss, he could feel it, even with the pain in his backside. Regardless, he forced a smile to the little ones, trying to keep the illusion of everything being okay.

"They're gone for now, but those demons may come back. We should probably get back on the road as soon as possible and put some distance between ourselves and this whole mess."

Sou was working on Nuriko's bandages when he realized this… woman had a surprisingly broad back. Then the pretty woman spoke up. He got up on one knee and listened to the trees. No, he didn't hear anything, the eerie quiet had returned.

Sou agreed whole heartedly. Chuei and Tasuki were as fixed as they were going to be before they got proper medical attention and there was something terribly wrong with the air. He needed to get all these people to safety.

He scooped up Chuei in his arms and took hold of Yuiren's hand, kneeling so she could resume her station on his back if they needed to run. He turned to Nuriko, who looked the stronger, despite her injured state, of the two. "Do you think you could carry him?" Sou motioned to the small child in his arms. "I'll take your friend and Yuiren." Finally, he looked at the still-frightened woman, "I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but could you guide the horse and carry the bedrolls and supplies?"

Manual labor. How distasteful. Nonetheless, Ji nodded silently and gathered up the supplies that the others could not carry. If nothing else it brought her closer to becoming their travel companion, and that would provide many opportunities for future 'incidents'.

Nuriko. That was all the confirmation she needed. Apparently, she, he, it was gifted with amazing strength, as he lifted Tasuki with hardly an effort.

Three in one place. And not a one suspected a thing. They seemed to have just met. Tasuki and Nuriko didn't even recognize Sou as one of their own. Could this be any more perfect? She was so excited; her heart began pounding, which only added to her air of nervousness.

Tasuki groaned as he tried to get to his hands and knees, the bandages around his torso pulling taught as his muscles tightened and strained to lift his over-tired body from the ground. He didn't want to be carried by this pretty man, he wanted to get to his feet and show that he was strong and could pull his own weight.

His body had other ideas.

He collapsed to his belly on the bedroll and huffed out a sigh.

"Oi, Nuriko..." he called out turning his head towards the purple-haired seishi. "C'mere an' use some 'a that strength t'help me t'my feet."

Nuriko slowly walked over towards Tasuki, dragging his own feet. With a flick of the wrist, he raised Tasuki to his feet with flawless effort. He couldn't help but smile at the thought that he could use his strength even in this crippled state. Most people wouldn't be able to help another man stand up, but Nuriko had done it flawlessly. He also picked up Chuei, much more carefully hoisting him over his shoulder.

Tasuki swayed on his feet, gripping Nuriko's shoulder to keep himself steady. He felt as if were going to pass out again but forced it back; he had already made himself look like an idiot passing out before in front of the pretty man and refused to do so again.

He slit his eyes closed and peeked at the new man from beneath his lashes. He was attractive; thick turquoise hair, soft blue-grey eyes, firm build, a tender heart and was assumedly betrothed to the woman at his side. He assumed she was his betrothed due to the simpering gazes she directed at him...

_Wait a minute... she looks- she looks like that baka onna that knocked m e down an' took th' Tessen!_

He growled and made as if to lunge at the deceptively fragile woman and succeeded in falling against the pretty man's chest. Tasuki's hands clenched in Pretty Boy's ripped coat to hold himself upright.

He froze for a moment, cursing himself for three shades of an idiot before slowly raising golden eyes to look into the face of his savior. He steeled himself for a reprimand, all the while secretly enjoying the unique scent the flowed from this man's skin.

They had to move quickly and this brief halt to exchange words could have been a fatal mistake. Sou looked down at Tasuki, who had fallen into his chest. His eyes were stern, "This is no time to try and be a hero." He scolded the man lying against him and lifted him up.

Ji watched as Tasuki of Suzaku seemed to lunge for her. Did he know? How could he? He was just a stupid looking---

She blinked in shock as he lay against Sou's chest. Luckily, their leader took charge and led them into the forest. She eyed Tasuki silently for a moment, and then followed close behind.

Tasuki had never been more mortified in his life.

First he had to try and grab at little Miss Simper-Skirt and miss, then he had to fall against the prettiest guy he'd ever seen and get admonished by him and NOW he was being CARRIED by said pretty guy... would his shame ever end?

A blush stained his cheeks and he kept his face averted so as to not look at the man carrying him in the eye.

He caught a look from Miss Simper-Skirt and narrowed his eyes; the look on her face was almost challenging if not down right disgusted. Feeling childish and awkward he stuck his tongue out at her and crossed his arms.

He started to slip and immediately wrapped his arms around Pretty Boy's neck and buried his face against his shoulder. Large grey eyes met his and he squeaked in surprise, lurching backwards and nearly falling from Pretty Boy's arms.

"It's okay, cousin. I'm sorry for startling you."

The little girl was perched on Pretty Boy's back, looking over his shoulder at him with a kind smile.

He sagged and fell to rest against his human palanquin, his eyes and nose peeking over Pretty Boy's shoulder. "It's arright, chibi, I just wasn't expectin' no one t'be there." He blushed again and gave her a partial grin, one fang poking out of his mouth cutely.

Tasuki wasn't being the best of riders. He kept squirming and twisting. Still, when he let out a yelp and nearly fell out of his arms, the first thing that came to Sou's head was concern.

"Are you ok? Am I hurting you?" Sou looked down, his concerned grey eyes meeting with golden ones before he felt Tasuki wrap his arms around his neck and hold on tighter.

Tasuki froze when he realized the position they were in and slowly pulled back to look into concerned grey eyes. The questions that Pretty Boy had asked flitted through his mind.

A dark blush colored his cheeks and he grinned sheepishly, averting his eyes quickly. "I-I was just startled seein' th' chibi restin' on yer back..." He trailed off and dropped his head, he was too embarrassed to look the other man in the face. He pulled his arms away from Pretty Boy's neck and settled his hands between his knees. "Sorry man, I didn't mean t'hug ya like that."

_Shit, now he's gonna be all weird 'round me now. Nice goin' aho! Ya meet a nice guy an' ya fuckin' screw it up by actin' like a baka._

From the corner of his eye, Sou watched the other as he seemed to avoid looking at him. Understandable, he wouldn't want to have to be carried out of a fight either.

"Sou." He chanced a glance down to Tasuki as the trees flew past him. Sou smiled. The formal greetings would have to be skipped, but it might make Tasuki more comfortable to know the name of his carrier. "My name." His eyes returned to concentrating in front of him. "I don't know how you know my sister, but thank you..." His eyes took on the day's all too familiar dull ache." .. for trying to help."

Tasuki's head snapped up and he looked Pretty Boy in the eye.

_Sou? That's his name... simple an' direct. It fits 'im._

His blush was still prominent but he gave Sou a fanged smile, "Genrou, but Nuriko-chan calls me Tasuki. Somethin' 'bout Suzaku or some shit." He shrugged and dropped his head again, unwilling to let Sou see his blush darken further.

The name of his God struck a chord inside Sou. His heart skipped, his breath caught. There had been something about a legend he had heard when he was small. Something related to the symbol etched in light on his forehead. His father had spoken of it in passing, a story Sou thought was only made up in order to explain the strange marking. This Tasuki couldn't be talking about the same thing. Suzaku was their country's God after all and almost everything got back to the phoenix somehow.

Sou kept his eyes fixed before him as the name Tamahome raced into his thoughts. Though his heart beat faster and his eyes narrowed in thought, he wouldn't be letting them hear that ridiculous story of his. The less people to know about the mark the better, he had had enough of being ridiculed for it.

Ji followed behind Sou, an un-amused look frozen on her face. That lowlife Tasuki stuck his tongue out at her. How old was he anyway? However old, it definitely didn't warrant this much thought.

The next thing she knew, he'd blurted out his position as one of the Suzaku seven.

It appears the chosen of the phoenix God are nothing more than overpowered children. At least one of them, anyhow.

"Sou," she addressed him to stall the current conversation, "I don't know where you're headed, but my home is not far from here. If we head North West, we should be there by tomorrow afternoon. I'm sure father's doctors will tend to your siblings and..." she glanced at the red-headed moron, "The others."

When he'd agreed to it, she directed them to the city of Hu Lao, the city to which Zhen Ji belonged. Miboshi hadn't expected to return there so soon, but under these circumstances... She supposed her return would become a bittersweet interlude to the next leg of their perilous journey.


	15. Chapter 14

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Near Eiyou; late afternoon

Miaka, Kouji, and Mitsukake reached the edge of the city late in the afternoon, and the traders were out in full swing. As Miaka stood gaping at the entrance to the city, Mitsukake handed off the reins of the horse to the owner of the stables just outside the city limits.

He owed him a horse, after all.

Miaka was practically vibrating with excitement as she watched people dodging in and out of the streets. Directly ahead, at the end of the very long main stretch into town, was the palace. It dominated the landscape, forcing you to look at it no matter which part of Eiyou you were trying to see.

"Come onnnnnnn," she whined, "I wanna gooooo!"

Kouji kept a close eye on Miaka. She looked about ready to run straight for the palace without them.

"We'll getcha there soon enough. Hold yer horses."

Mitsukake rejoined the pair and tilted his head towards the palace.

"Shall we?"

Miaka tried to take in every bit of the city she could as they walked straight towards the palace gates. Everything was passing her by in a blur and this could be the only chance she got to see it. There were carts full of knick knacks, toys, chopsticks, cooking ware… Not to mention the fresh fruit, vegetables, and all the different kinds of meat for sale.

As the neared the gates, street vendors were the dominant force. Her mouth watered as the pleasant aroma of spicy chicken, bean curd, and water buffalo-on-a-stick filled her nostrils. It was too much!

When she found a man selling fresh coconut milk and candied grapes, she squealed. "Oh please! Can I get some?"

Mitsukake nodded and watched as the girl searched her pockets for money she obviously didn't have.

"Here." Kouji handed her a few small coins.

"Oh no, I couldn't! I'd feel bad 'cause I can't pay you back."

He blushed and shook his head. "Dun worry 'bout it. It's not much. Hell, mebbe the Emperor will reward me fer getting' ya here safe 'n sound."

She grinned, making a note to ask the Emperor to do just that, and purchased her goodies. With a hole in the coconut and a stick full of sugary-grapes, she ate and drank happily all the way up to the edge of the gates.

Kouji stopped only when he walked into Mitsukake's now stationary back. "Well, Mitsukake, let's go," he growled impatiently.

"Why do you think I should go first?"

"Why!? Yer the damned seishi ain't ya? Don't tell me you've never been here."

Mitsukake shook his head. "Nope, sorry. Nuriko was the palace concubine, not me. I don't know how we'll get in."

"WHAT!?"

Kouji stamped his foot and shouted, drawing the attention of the crowd outside the gates hoping for an audience. His face flushed red with anger and frustration. All this time, all this effort, and for what? To be stuck just outside the gate with no way in until Nuriko was able to return and help them!

"I'll kill you!"

He launched himself at Mitsukake, knocking the large man to the ground. He punched the doctor squarely on the jaw, thinking he'd won easy. Too easy.

Mitsukake shoved him back and swung wildly. "Asshole!" He tried to grab Kouji around the throat and strangle him.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Miaka stood just to the side of the fight, eating her last few grapes with a worried look on her face.

Several armed men forced the warring duo apart, holding them back. One of the men put a hand on Miaka's shoulder with a kind smile.

"What's going on here? Are you all right miss…?"

"Y'let her go asshole! She's ours!" Kouji let the words slip before he took a good look at the man. He was an Imperial Guard. No, not just a guard, but Koru, the captain of this squad. And now he was very, very unimpressed. A comment like that couldn't just be ignored, he'd lose face. Kouji was in for some sort of unpleasantness.

"We've had reports of men trying to kidnap women and sell them to slave traders. And you two are about as shifty and suspicious a lot as I've ever seen. Tell me miss, were they trying to kidnap you?"

"Mmo! Vey vere…" Miaka's face went red and she shut her mouth. The sticky grapes had her mouth so full she couldn't make any sense!

Kouji groaned and tried to back peddle. "She's our friend, okay? We just want to see the Emperor."

"You and everybody else. Lucky for you, you'll have your chance… when he sentences you. Tie 'em up for disturbing the peace and lock 'em in the dungeon until we can decide what to do next."

"Ah shit." Cursed Kouji as the guards tossed him into the dirt whilst pointing their spears at him. Feeling as his hands were being bound, Kouji growled. At least if he kept quiet, Miaka would clear this up. They'd be out of this mess in no time…

"He's a slaver!" Mitsukake yelled as he was being bound. "He kidnapped her from the Palace for ransom! We were arguing over the price. She's a concubine named Kourin." He looked over at Kouji smugly.

Kouji's jaw hung open in shock, his face white as the clouds. What was that idiot doctor thinking!? They were already going to the dungeon but now…?

Koru poked his spear in Kouji's butt a few times in anger as he spoke. "You kidnapped one of the Emperor's harem girls?" He threw a disgusted glance at Kouji, not understanding why anyone would think to kidnap a used woman, and then he looked at Miaka. She was sweet and innocent; the sort of girl the Emperor just might want to see.

"The name Kourin checks out, sir." A smaller guard, Zheng, spoke up. "After the fire a concubine by the name of Kourin went missing. None of the other girls knew where she'd gone there had been such a chaos. It's not unreasonable to think these two may be responsible."

"What? Both of us!?"

Mitsukake's plan for only Kouji to be arrested had backfired and now Kouji was the one looking smug.

"Is this what happened, Miss Kourin?"

Miaka looked back and forth between the boys on the ground and the guards. "I… I… I…" she stammered uselessly.

Koru took her delicate hand in his and guided her towards the gates. "Don't worry, Miss Kourin. You're safe now. Gentlemen, bring her back to the girl's quarters and leave her with the maids. Get them to clean her up and redress her so that she is fit to see His Highness. I will inform his majesty immediately that the missing girl has been recovered." He barked off his orders and waited for two of the guards to take Miaka's hands and lead her inside. He looked down at Kouji with a sneer and kicked him in the ribs. "Send these two to the brig and lock them up. We'll request sentencing but it's probably to the gallows for them both. Show the other slavers what happens when you take a woman that isn't yours." He spat on Kouji.

Two guards picked up Kouji and Mitsukake each. They held spears against their arms as they walked toward the holding chambers.

"Real smart, Mits."

"Shut up, you bandit trash. I got her in, didn't I?"

***

_What was Mitsukake thinking!? Now I'm all alone…_

Miaka walked with the guards through endless hallways. The bright red and gold paint decorated every inch of the place, even the beams in the roof. She tried not to act too amazed, considering she was supposed to have been here before.

When they reached the door that separated the ladies quarters from the rest of the palace, the men stopped and knocked. A very young and homely girl answered.

"The missing concubine, Kourin, is back. Get her cleaned up and dressed in the finest silks. She's been outside too long and we need to present her to his highness." The girl merely nodded and took Miaka inside the gate. When the door swung shut, she examined her appearance.

"I don't recognize you. Kourin, right? Huh. You think I'd remember a girl as pretty as you are. Well, let's get you cleaned up."

She hurried Miaka into the bath house, tearing her clothes off as soon as they were in the door. Miaka protested and tried to stop the girl, but she was having none of it and shoved her objecting hands away. She pushed her into the tub and began scrubbing at her skin as if she wanted to remove it all.

"Ow! Do you have to do that so hard?" She winced, but the scrubbing persisted.

"Of course! Look how dark your skin is. Concubines should be as white as the snow in Sairou."

When the maid gave up on getting the years of sunlight out of Miaka's skin, she roughly dried her and sat her down on a stool with only the towel to wear around her shoulder. The next area of focus was her hair.

"What a mess this is! Just goes to show you what a few days outside can do to a girl. You're lucky they got you back when you did, otherwise you'd have been completely ruined."

She picked up a brown and white speckled comb and tore it through Miaka's hair, brushing all the knots out. Then the girl pulled it back so tight her face felt stretched out. She tried to protest again, but her hair was now done and she was being wrapped in a simple robe, shuffled into the next room. The girl looked over several dresses before deciding which one the girl should wear.

"I've got it! A special dress for a special day!" She held up a beautiful red and gold dress covered in phoenixes. It reminded her of the dress Genrou had bought her when they'd first met. She felt her lip quiver and she reached out to touch the fabric, but her hand was slapped away. "You don't want to damage it with your fingers, do you? Put it on."

She was wrapped in layers of thick robes before the last beautiful one was done up on top. Then she was pushed to the make up table. "Nothing too fancy, you're a natural beauty. Just a few enhancements!" They drew with charcoal around the very edges of her eye lids, rubbed a little gold shimmering powder on them, and dabbed some shiny pink stuff on her lips.

After adding a few overly elaborate hair decorations to complete the look, she was left alone to wait for her summoning to the Emperor.

She was just about to start to cry (this place was strange and scary! More so than the Stronghold had ever been) the maid came back into the room and helped guide her out. She led her back to the front gate and passed her off to the guards. They took Miaka by both arms, which she needed since this new style of clothing was strange to her, and walked her directly to The Emperor's private chambers.

They knocked and announced their presence. "Sire... We are here with the harem girl named Kourin who was missing."

Saihitei sat on a luxurious carved chair, brushing his long chestnut hair and admiring his own beauty in the mirror. Yes, the guards were taking care of Palace repairs and no one was injured, he had every reason to be satisfied. Now Kourin had been found and he could sleep a little easier at night knowing she was okay. But first he had to ensure that she was not injured or damaged in any way. A loud call came from outside his door at last. Tucking the brush and mirror away, he sat up very straight.

"Yes, bring her in to me at once!"

The doors flew open and, despite the fact this girl was obviously not the purple-haired Kourin, he was surprised at how pretty the girl was. He'd never felt so strongly about one of his own people. Why this girl? What was it about her? He waited until they marched her closer and he looked her over more closely. She wasn't one of his concubines at all... he'd remember her.

"Thank you for returning her. Please, leave us for now." After the guards bowed and made their exit, he motioned the girl closer. Looking her up and down, he smiled.

"Don't fret, little girl. I know you are not Kourin and you are not even from my harem. A girl as beautiful as you would be more suitable as my wife, not a faceless part of the harem. Tell me, what's brought you here?" He gestured for her to come and sit beside him.

Miaka watched the Emperor examining her and her face blushed brightly. She looked away from his gaze and her hands trembled as he motioned for her to come closer. She took a few steps toward him and then stopped, unsure. His compliments were unlike any she'd ever received. Was it the way they'd dressed her and done her hair? Maybe those things mattered more in ancient China.

She looked at him and then down at her feet as a smile crept across her lips. "I was told that my big brother and Tetsuya were here," she said softly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "I met Kourin in my travels and we were trying to all come here together but there was… a problem. Kouji and Mitsukake helped me get here and your guards have imprisoned them by mistake." She brought a hand to her face and rubbed at her cheek. "They lied so that the guards would take me to you. I'm sorry." She paused and kept her gaze firmly fixed on the floor.

She'd used the name Mitsukake, which meant that a celestial warrior was involved in all this mess. But Kouji was a name unfamiliar to him. A concubine, a stranger, and a celestial warrior, all trying to help a pretty girl get his attention? Surely the need to pick a wife wasn't so bad as to require all that.

"You were able to trust strangers without hesitation? You must be very young. The city is not as safe as I wish it..." He stopped speaking almost too suddenly and jumped up.

This girl was looking for her brother and one of the foreigners. That would mean... Chichiri had searched the city for her unsuccessfully but was about to leave on a much further journey. Now he didn't need to send the monk out at all!

"Might you be... Miaka? Two foreigners are staying with me here, one of whom is looking for his lost sister." He stood and walked over to her, examining her from head to toe more closely. Her appearance had him completely fooled.

At last he let out a big laugh. "Well, he never told me how pretty you are!" He took her hand in his own and kissed it, gently. There was plenty of time to find the foreigners later. Romancing the beautiful Suzaku no Miko was priority number 1.

"I-eh... thank you." Miaka smiled and nodded. "I am Miaka Yuuki. A man named Genrou found me when I came to this world. He took me to the mountain and that's where I met Kouji, Kourin, and Mitsukake."

_Why is he so excited to see me?_

"Um... Your Highness, is there any way we can get my companions released? They didn't do anything wrong." She looked down at her hand still in his and blushed, removing it immediately.

"Of course! I would like to reward the men who brought you here." He clapped his hands and two guards appeared. They bowed deeply, ready for duty.

"Go find the man who brought this girl. He is to be rewarded." Waving them off, the guards scurried away to find the bandit and the doctor. Alone again, he offered Miaka his seat.

"Forgive me if I seem over enthusiastic, Miaka, but you are a very important young woman. You are going to save our world!"

Miaka walked over to the chair and she needed that seat as soon as the words came out of his mouth.

"Sa-sa-save the world?" She raised an eyebrow and fell back into the chair. Her face drained of all its color. Could he tell she was the miko so fast? "What do you mean?" She asked, looking down at herself and wondering how he would relate a small girl with the task of saving the whole world.

***

Kouji and Mitsukake had been thrown into a holding room lined with bars. Kouji grumbled. The cold feeling of the pavement on his butt was seeping through his pants as he sat on the ground, his body aching. Slowly, he struggled to his knees without the use of his still-bound arms.

"As long as Miaka is safe, there's no need fer us t' worry." He was trying to convince himself that she was going to be all right on her own.

"Sure she's safe. I'm sure the Emperor has already figured out she's the miko. We'll be out of here in no time."

"How th'hell do you know that?"

Mitsukake tapped his head against the wall. "Call it a hunch."

_This is how I'm gonna die..._

Kouji heard the guards nearby speaking casually of what his fate would become. Death by hanging was not the honorable way to sacrifice a bandit. Kouji closed his eyes, settling against the wall uncomfortably.

_Genrou, forgive me. I got 'er safely t' th' palace... but I won't ever see th' mountain again.._

Kouji had been leaning against the wall with his eyes closed when he heard the cell door opening with a clang. A guard jerked him upright and cut his arms free from their bindings, then did the same for Mitsukake. He rubbed at his bruised wrists as he was marched out alongside the doctor to a room he expected to be his last.

_'So this is it, eh?'_ he thought as he heard a man's voice command them to enter.

***

The surprise on the beautiful young girl's face made it abundantly clear to Saihitei that whoever Miaka's traveling companion may be, they had either not realized her to be the Miko or they were unaware...

Or they were some sort of stupid, petty thief...

"Don't look so serious, pretty one, it's not a bad thing. You've come here from another world... Legends foretold that a girl from a distant world would arrive to save the country from destruction. She is known as the Suzaku no Miko. I believe you are that Priestess, Miaka."

"I was told by Kourin and Mitsukake that I was this Miko thing but they didn't say anything about saving the world… I don't think. Just that there are seven people with glow-y symbols and I know three of them!" She smiled and looked the Emperor.

"Three of them? You've already found 3 of the Suzaku Celestial Warriors?" He smiled. This might not be so difficult after all. "Which of them have you met already, sweet Priestess?"

She noticed then how handsome he was. He had long, dark hair that cascaded down his back and a delicate face. His frame was strong but not overly muscled. Then there were those eyes of his, dancing with delight as they took in her appearance.

She heard a knock at the door and gasped, looking back.

He took her hands in his again and looked deeply into her eyes, studying her face intently. The knock at the door made little difference to him. Without looking away from Miaka he called out "Enter!" and the doors creaked open again.

As the doors slowly opened, Kouji's face paled. The Emperor was holding Miaka's hands while they gazed into each other's eyes.

"Miaka," he said as he walked in, "I see you made it safely."

Was Miaka taking a liking to the Emperor or something? They we're acting so... so friendly! A guard shoved him down onto his knees, muttering something about bowing before his head was cut off.

Miaka felt butterflies in her stomach as the Emperor held her hands once again, just as he beckoned them to enter. She wasn't sure how to react to so much attention. When they entered the room she couldn't help but smile. As long as her friends were here, she didn't feel so alone.

"Are you okay?" she asked empathetically.

The Emperor sat in the chair next to Miaka's and tilted his head slightly. "I summoned you both here to thank you for escorting the Priestess to the capital. You have my utmost gratitude. Rest assured that you'll not be harmed. Mitsukake, yes?" He waited for the doctor to nod his confirmation before continuing.

"Because you are one of the Shichi Seishi, you are welcome to stay in the palace for as long as you like. Kouji you are a… bandit, is that right? I can offer you a room for the night if you'd like. As well as compensation for bringing her in safely."

Saihitei smiled, but felt moderately annoyed that his future wife would have been found first by rough mouthed bandits. It didn't matter now, there was plenty of time for her to grow to love him.

"Oh, Guards! Before you leave, please fetch the foreign boys and bring them in at once. No need to knock, leave the doors open. I'm sure that Miaka-sama is looking forward to seeing them."

The guards bowed and left, feeling a bit like a rickshaw service.

Miaka could see the disappointment registered on Kouji's face. She knew that he wanted to help protect her but his place was by Genrou's side, rebuilding the mountain. Genrou hadn't returned yet, but Kouji was his replacement. "Can Kouji stay longer than just a night? He's done a wonderful job of keeping me safe and he's my friend."

Hope that Miaka loved him stirred in Kouji's chest. She wanted him to stay?

The Emperor looked at Miaka, puzzled. What didn't she understand?

"I suppose he can stay. You already know that you are going to need to find all 7 warriors before you can summon the power of Suzaku. Then you will be granted 3 wishes... I am certain that you will have a great journey to undertake to accomplish this."

Saihitei looked at the bandit, noting the sadness in his eyes as he gazed at Miaka. Could this foul creature have feelings for a Goddess such as she? Did he actually expect her to love him? Ha!

"Unless he's one of the seishi, he will be of little use on this journey. The seishi are of superior skill and strength..."

Stopping dead in his tracks, Kouji let out a shuttering breath, his face contorting with anger.

"What did ya say?" He snarled, turning towards the Emperor. Kouji advanced with a foot. "How dare ya claim I'm WEAK! Hell, if anyone is weak here, I'd say it was ya, yer _H__ighness_. Ya never leave this place!"

His temper was flaring and he didn't care as he stomped towards the Emperor, rolling up his sleeve. "I should kill ya here an' now fer sayin' that!"

Miaka listened to them argue and puff up like beta fish in battle.

_What is Kouji thinking!? This man is the Emperor! He's going to get himself executed…_

Saihitei stood up suddenly, hand at his waist. His sword was sheathed, but this was turning ugly fast.

"Let's face it, you're not a Celestial Warrior. Are you actually willing to die for this girl? If so, go ahead and attack me. I'll put you in your place without the assistance of my guards."

A feeling of rage filled him. He felt as though he had to protect Miaka from this filthy-mouthed villain. A warm feeling grew on his neck as the Hotohori symbol shone forth.

He took a step forward, smirking. "I suggest you calm yourself, bandit. I was merely pointing out to her the danger **our** travels may bring."

Mitsukake could see where this was going and he didn't like it. He stood up and slowly began to back out of the room.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be getting something to drink." Then, under his breath he added "Kouji, don't do anything stupid," before turning and running out the door towards alcohol as fast as his legs would take him.

Kouji didn't hear Mitsukake. He glared at the Emperor with hate glowing faintly in his eyes. His eyebrows furrowed and he cracked his fingers, watching the Emperor as the man's arm was loosely to his waist.

The Emperor was right about everything, but he didn't want to hear it or believe it. He'd been protecting Miaka so long, he felt as if that was what he was doing now as well. Kouji snarled as he began to pull back a fist.

"Bastard!" He yelled as he swung.

Miaka leaped between them, trying to stop a fight. Rather, she tried to leap but the layers of dress caught her feet and she sort of tumbled between them instead, facing Kouji.

"Kouji sto-"

Before she could finish her plea, his fist met with her face, knocking her back into the Emperor, who caught her effortlessly. She set her hand over her the spot on her face he'd connected with and looked at Kouji in shock, her eyes tearing up from the sudden pain.

She looked at her hand and saw blood on her fingertips. There was a small cut across her upper cheekbone.

When Miaka fell Saihitei's eyes grew wide. He tried to grab her by the waist and toss her out of the way, but instead Kouji's fist made contact and she fell back into him. How could a girl as thin as she weight so much? Still, it felt sort of nice to have her pressed against him.

_No time to be a pervert, Highness._

"Miaka-sama! Are you okay?" Worry filled his voice. Though he knew that he wasn't acting regal, he didn't care. This is the woman he'd always dreamed about... and that... that... that ASSHOLE just hit her in the face.

He shot the bandit a nasty look, almost as if to say 'I told you something bad would happen' but didn't speak a word. Instead, he pulled out a handkerchief and touched the silk to her face. "Here, hold this against your cheek. We'd best get some ice on that. Your poor brother is going to think you were kidnapped by a bunch of criminals. If you want to head to your room and rest, please feel free. I'll have ice brought for you. It's just the third door down the hall."

Kouji stood in complete shock. He had just hit the one he loved most.

"Miaka...," he stammered, "Miaka, I didn't mean..."

Miaka blinked a few times, trying to prevent herself from crying. "I know, Kouji. I'm fine, really." She tried to force a smile and a laugh. "Now no more fighting, I mean it. I do think I'm going to go lay down, though."

Looking like a kid that had been caught with stealing, Kouji felt very much ashamed with himself. He had struck the girl he loved, not to mention he struck the Miko, for which he figured the Emperor would punish him with death or some other violent accord.

"Of course, Miaka-sama," Saihitei took her by the arm and led her out the door. He paused, then turned back to Kouji. "Perhaps you'd like to join your friend in the kitchen? I'm sure you're hungry after the long journey." Before Kouji could respond he turned the corner and led Miaka away.

Kouji stood alone in the room; still alive and very much confused as to why he'd not been killed, watching Miaka go.

***

Miaka had been sitting alone in her room for some time. The room was painted in pale pink and decorated with a bright green and yellow flower motif. The fabrics were made of pink and blue silks with gold tassels and elaborate paintings of the history of Konan adorned the bedchamber. All the furniture was carved mahogany and the images of phoenixes dominated most of it. There were other animals, like bats with peaches, but the phoenix was what caught her eye.

She was sitting on a foreign bed in foreign clothing without any of the friends she'd made so far… She felt overwhelmingly alone. The cut on her face still stung but that wasn't what brought tears to her eyes now.

_I miss Gen-chan. I hope he's okay. What if I'm gone before he gets back? What if I never see him again?_

She couldn't blink the tears back this time.

***

Back from the kitchen (where the drunkard was making a fool of himself again) Kouji paced nervously in front of Miaka's door. He wanted to go in and apologize to her, but he didn't know how to do it.

He leaned his forehead against the door in frustration, not sure what to do. He could hear her soft sobs and his heart clenched. Had he been responsible for her tears?

He tapped lightly on the door and then opened it, poking his head inside.

"Miaka, please don't cry. I'm sorry I hit you. Does it hurt?"

She quickly tried to dry her eyes with the handkerchief the Emperor had given her. "N-no. I'm not crying about that."

She looked up at Kouji's rough face and she didn't feel so lonely anymore. She'd known him almost as long as Genrou. The two bandits were as close as any brothers. They were a lot alike.

Kouji entered the room and sat down beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders in an effort to be comforting. "Why are ya so sad then?"

"It's… I just don't want to leave yet. I thought I did, but I like it here. Except now I'm all alone."

"Yer not alone! Yer brother is here somewhere, right? An' ya got that Emperor and Mits…" he gulped, "…and me."

It made sense to her then. Genrou had said he wouldn't leave her. Kouji promised to protect her. Maybe she was being silly, but when she looked at Kouji in that moment of loneliness, all she could see was Genrou.

Kouji pulled her close, embracing her gently. "I won't ever leave ya!"

"Kouji…"

Brushing a few strands away from her face, Kouji stooped down and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"I love ya, Mi-chan."

Genrou had used that name for her too. Without knowing why, she closed her eyes and it almost felt as though it was Genrou who was hugging her, kissing her forehead, and telling her he loved her.

She reached up and, without thinking, gently kissed him back.

Kouji moaned softly as he fell into the kiss, returning it with full force. Running a hand through her hair, easing the stress that he had been holding, he pulled her close and inhaled the aroma of her hair. Just being with Miaka, he felt his troubles melt away as he kissed her passionately.

He couldn't help himself as he embraced her, stroking her hair.

***

Saihitei watched quietly from a distance as the bandit... what was his name? Kouji?... entered Miaka's room. It was obvious he'd developed feelings for the girl. But he had cared so deeply for Miaka before he knew her name or face... It wasn't right. She wasn't destined for a bandit, she was destined for... someone else.

His mind began to race over what could be done. Naturally, he wasn't going to try to force the Priestess into being his, which would never do. But perhaps he really could sway her mind? He needed to learn more about her though. He set off down the hall to find Keisuke himself, if he hadn't left on another search mission, to ask about this unusual sister of his.

The Emperor rushed down the hall. He had to catch the foreigners and the Amazon before they left. The guards he'd sent to find them were only a little distance in front of him!

"Idiots! You move this slowly over a matter of great importance? You will be dealt with later!" He shouted as he rushed past them. He could see the group in the distance, packing to head out on a journey.

"Wait! Wait!" He came to a sudden stop in front of them, panting for breath. "Keisuke-san... your sister... She's in the palace!" He motioned for the group to follow him. "This way, I assigned her to her own private living quarters. Some foul-mouthed criminal escorted her to the capital. He seems to have been a bit... rough with her."

Yes, that ought to spark Keisuke's brotherly need to protect his little sister. Kouji didn't know what he was up against. When they reached the door, Saihitei straightened his robes, arranged his hair and tapped gently before swinging the doors open.

"Miaka-sama!" he announced. His face turned white when he saw the bandit holding Miaka in an embrace. With a deep sadness he looked away. "My apologies... it seems we have intruded?"

Miaka pushed Kouji away from her when she heard the Emperor's voice. She felt completely ashamed for kissing Kouji when he wasn't the one she even wanted. "We... You're not interrupting," she stammered.

Kouji let Miaka's lips go reluctantly. Expecting to only see the Emperor, Kouji's eyes widened. The Emperor stood in the doorway with 3 guys and a girl, all of them staring him down.

_Oh... shit._

Two of the guys were dressed in strange clothing; one of them wore a weird facial adornment.

_'Mi-chan's brother must b' one of th'm...'_ His mind panicked as he surveyed the other strangers.

Frowning he glanced at the last soul, a woman.

"I-I can explain?"

Keisuke was thrilled to hear that Miaka had been found and he stuck close behind the frantic Emperor as they made their way to her room. Miaka was here? How'd she find them so quickly? Did they have the right girl? Was Yui with her?

When Saihitei-sama opened the door, he could hardly restrain himself and tried poking his head around him in order to see. Nothing could have prepared him for what they found.

Keisuke's jaw dropped. Slowly he turned to look into the room past Saihitei-sama's shoulder, and all he saw was a man with a scar on his cheek and mussed up hair forcing himself on his sister.

"You... What'd you try do to Miaka?!" Keisuke yelled furiously.

For now, he barely kept his temper, as he was in the presence of the Emperor, but he could feel his anger bristling, shooting up his spine like lightning, and he was one wrong word away from an explosion.

Saihitei placed a hand on Keisuke's shoulder. "This is the... gentleman I spoke of earlier. He escorted your sister to the city."

Miaka's face was hot with embarrassment. She'd just been caught kissing Kouji for reasons she didn't understand. How could she explain? What would the Emperor and her brother think of her now? She ran from the room, shoving past her brother and hiding in the first empty room she could find, just a few doors down from her own.

Kouji reached out for her, but ultimately let Miaka go. He couldn't blame her for being upset, not that he understood the reason for it. "Look, it ain't exactly what it looked like. I wasn't gonna do nothin', she's th' Miko. I just… love her."

When the bandit spoke of love The Emperor almost laughed, but held back. What did this man know of love? He had loved Miaka without ever having known her. He loved her more after being in her presence but mere moments. He could give her everything and this man could give her nothing.

"Excuse me a moment, I'll retrieve Miaka and let the rest of you become... better acquainted." He slid past the others and went next door, where Miaka had disappeared.

Keisuke scoffed. Love her? He **loved** her? How long could he have possibly known her? 24 hours?! Keisuke sighed internally. Kids and their hormones.

He was about to speak again, when the words left him. What was all of this about Miaka being their miko? Had she agreed to 'summon their God'? As if that was even possible!

And he didn't want to know what was going on here with this guy and his sister. Whether it was a mutual attraction or not, there was no way he could support his sister, at her age, being with some guy she'd only just met. What if she got pregnant? Or sick? Who knows what kind of diseases a guy like that could have!

He aimed a dead serious look at the 'bandit'.

"Stay away from my sister," he said bluntly.

***

Saihitei knocked before entering the small room where the young girl was hiding. She stood alone, her face in her hands. "Don't cry, Miaka my dear." He wiped the tears from Miaka's eyes and smiled.

"Come on, your brother has been sick with worry. Don't look so frightened, Priestess. I'll take care of you."

Miaka looked at the Emperor from between her fingers as he entered the chamber, her face blushing. She tried to hide her face but he lifted her head and wiped the tears from beneath her eyes and smiled at her with kindness.

"How can I go back in there? Keisuke must think… I'm so embarrassed!" She spoke honestly, looking down and away.

"Your brother is merely concerned for your well being, as am I."

She shook her head. "You don't understand…" It was true that he wouldn't understand. How could he? Miaka didn't know why she'd kissed Kouji and now she'd probably given everyone the wrong impression of her.

"Can I… can I just be alone for a little while? Is there somewhere like that in the palace?"

Saihitei let out a sigh. Were all women this difficult to understand? Any woman in his country would be thrilled for his attentions. Yet Miaka's resistance made her even more desirable.

"Of course. I'd recommend the Garden of Eternal Beauty. Just down the hall and to the right. I'll let your brother know he can find you there later." He patted her hand and let her go, watching her with curiosity. Miaka was certainly unlike any other girl he'd met.

He picked himself up and returned to the other room. The air was thick with tension as a sea of expectant faces turned to him waiting for an explanation. "Miaka-sama wishes to be alone for a little while. However, I think she simply fears your reaction Keisuke-san."

He leaned in close to Keisuke and whispered into his ear, so that Kouji would not hear them. "Your sister is in the Garden of Eternal Beauty. Be kind to her, I think it was a misunderstanding."

Keisuke nodded, then shot one last angry look at Kouji before he turned on his heel and left to search the palace for Miaka.

Saihitei turned his attention back to Kouji. "You should consider deeply how foolish your actions are. You leave a young girls heart in the balance." He began to leave the room before turning back a final time. "Oh, perhaps you could consider this in your **own** room?"

Kouji stood up and left the room without a word. He'd already lost face, now it was time to retreat to his room and figure out what that kiss meant and figure out what to say to Miaka.

The Emperor smiled at Tetsuya and Kaen. "We shall delay travel for now. When Miaka is ready, she will begin her pilgrimage. We must be ready to support her."

Kaen and Tetsuya both nodded and went their separate ways while Saihitei took his leave of them to sit in his private courtyard and think.

***

Miaka made her way to the garden. It was lush and green with hundreds of different kinds of brightly colored flowers and a small pond with it's own miniature waterfall. She sat down on a stone bench next to the pond and gazed at her reflection on the surface. Dozens of gold and white Koi swarmed the water's edge, hoping for food.

_I'm so stupid!_

She closed her eyes and let the sunlight shining down on the open courtyard warm her face. She could hear the cicadas and the orioles singing all around her.

_What kind of Suzaku no Miko am I going to be? I can't just go around kissing people because I'm lonely! What a fool I am. Why __**did**__ I kiss him anyway?_

Keisuke stepped through the circle gate and into the small garden. Though he was unfamiliar with this locale, he didn't think Miaka could've gotten too far. When he finally found her, sniffling to herself on a stone bench, he was surprised at how different she looked. If she was dressed like this out on the street, he might have completely passed her by.

He shifted uncomfortably on his feet, then smoothed back his hair to calm himself.

"Miaka," Keisuke called as he approached her. He stood in front of her and they locked eyes for a moment.

Then, in one swift motion, he knelt down and took her into his arms.

Miaka's thoughts were disrupted by the calling of her name from a familiar voice. "Ke-Keisuke!" She hugged him back and made a gurgling noise as he squeezed her.

"I'm so glad you're safe," he said quietly, as he held her tight enough to cut off her oxygen supply.

He released her and looked her over, older brother concern written all over his face.

"Did anything happen to you? Did he hurt you?"

Miaka touched her cheek and frowned. "No. This was an accident. You know how clumsy I am!" She laughed at her brother's concern. "I met a lot of good people in my travels. Genrou and Kouji were the most protective, but Mitsukake and Kourin traveled with me for a while too. Kourin is trying to convince Genrou to come and join us in the palace." Miaka decided to omit the battle at the mountain from her story. Something told her that her brother wouldn't be too happy to learn that she was in the middle of a war.

Keisuke was relieved that she was okay, but he felt no better about Kouji. Something about the guy bothered him. "Yeah well, the sooner we can get back home where I don't have to worry so much, the better. You're giving me gray hairs."

Miaka bit her lip. This was the conversation she was dreading. "I can't go home yet."

"I know. We need to find Yui first. But I'm sure we'll find her soon enough."

"No, not because of Yui-chan. I'm going to be the Suzaku no Miko." She watched Keisuke's eyes carefully, waiting for him to comprehend what she planned to do.

"Miaka, you're not taking this 'miko and seishi' thing seriously, are you? We have to find Yui and get back home. Did you see her anywhere?"

Miaka looked at her big brother and frowned. "Why wouldn't I take it seriously? The Emperor said he needs me to get all of the seishi and save the world. Why would he ask my help if he didn't need it? And if he needs my help... I'm going to give it to him."

He shook his head. "You can't. That's too much to ask of you. Why should you have to save their world? I doubt that this summoning is what it sounds like anyway."

Miaka held her brother's hand, glad for his company and the distraction from her thoughts of Kouji. "I believe it. I've seen things since coming here… this place is magic. I want to protect the people I've met. If I can save this place from destruction I want to do it."

Keisuke cocked an eyebrow at her. Miaka had always been a bit headstrong and if she was this determined, there was going to be no stopping her. "This doesn't have anything to do with a certain bandit you like?"

"Wha-!?" Her whole body went bright red and flailed her arms about, shoving her brother backwards off the bench and into the pond, much to the chagrin of the koi who inhabited it. "No! It's not like that. Kouji's just a friend."

She helped Keisuke out of the pond and walked with him back towards the rooms. She would have to talk to Kouji about what happened between them. Miaka excused herself so that her brother could put on dry clothes and headed off to find Kouji.

What she found instead was a completely empty room.

Well, not completely empty. Mitsukake was lying on one of the two beds, holding his head and moaning. Too much to drink again. But there was no trace of Kouji.

"Where's Kouji?"

Mitsukake closed his eyes and held his head. Even her soft voice made his brain hurt. "Dunno. Said he was gonna go find Genrou and help him rebuild the mountain. Maybe he left?"

Her mouth dropped open. "What!?"

"Shhh not so loud. Head hurts. I don't know where he is. The Emperor's messenger was looking for you. Said the big guy wanted to extend an invitation to visit him. Forget about stupid Kouji." He grumbled and rolled over on the bed, trying to get the room to stop spinning.

***

The door to Saihitei's room was wide open. He was waiting patiently for Miaka to come so that he could speak with her more. His own courtyard was setup in the style of a Buddhist Zen garden. He liked the peace and tranquility it provided him staring at the stones.

Behind him the floor creaked as delicate footsteps made their way closer to him.

"You wanted to see me?"

She was here. Saihitei stood up and brushed his hair from his face. He wore the usual gentle smile he got whenever Miaka was around. "Hello, Miaka-sama. Please, come in and sit down." He waited for her to make herself comfortable on the cushions and then he took a place beside her. "I wanted to discuss the position of Suzaku no Miko with you more." He leaned in close to her and whispered, "You still don't know much about summoning Suzaku. Did you know you get 3 wishes?"

"I've heard about the three wishes. I'd save your world, of course, but I don't know what I would wish for," she said softly.

_That's not true. I would wish to pass my exams! Or for all the boys at school to fall in love with me! No, I'd wish to be able to eat all I want but never get fat!_

The ruler of Konan gently brushed the hair from her face. "Your kindness is what makes your seishi want to protect you. It's what makes us love you from a time before we knew you." He sighed now, wondering if Miaka could love him.

"You can wish for whatever your heart desires, my dear. The wishes you need to make will come to you as we travel. Traditionally, the Miko wishes for peace for her country and the happiness of her Seishi... but you are not a slave to a position of authority, Miaka."

Miaka looked at the Emperor with a curious expression. "I'm sorry.. did I hear you wrong? You said _us,_" she repeated, "Are you saying _you_ are a seishi? You have one of those glow-y marks too?" She suddenly thought she understood why he had been so kind to her.

_Loving me before knowing me... __Genrou was the first one I met and he didn't seem to be in love with me. Mitsukake and Nuriko both seemed to know I was the miko before I did. Maybe that's what he means._

***

Keisuke had redressed and was heading for the bandit's room to give him another piece of his mind when he saw Miaka go in first. He ducked into a closet and listened in on her conversation with the other man who'd brought her to the palace. The bandit had left, probably, and Miaka was going to talk to the Emperor.

Curious to learn more about the legend, he leapt to his feet and followed after her. He kept to the shadows, sneaking along quietly so as not to be noticed.

When Miaka went inside the Emperor's room, he peered around the doorjamb, listening closely as they spoke.

Seishi, those were the warriors that protected the miko, right? That's what Kourin had said. She was one of them, wasn't she? Was that bandit another? He decided to keep quiet and listen to get a better idea of just what was going on, how to find Yui, and how to get them home.

***

Saihitei chuckled. "I thought you saw my character glow before, back in the throne room. I am the Celestial Warrior known as Hotohori."

He was enjoying their conversation. Miaka was a very clever and inquisitive girl, not like most of the women of his world who were kept uneducated and told to be silent. "Seishi have but one true purpose in their lives and that's to protect you. It may not be fair, but you'll find life isn't always, Miaka-sama. I have been burdened with running a country and being a Celestial warrior. From the time I was 13 and I first learned about my duty to the Miko, I knew that she was the one I could trust. She is the one who will bring joy to the world and unite our hearts."

He held up his little finger, with a grin. "It may not be the red string of fate, but it's fate none the less. You are a wonderful girl Miaka. As we all get to know you more and more we find new reasons for loving you. We're not just protectors, Miaka, we ought to be friends."

Miaka watched Hotohori with interest as he told her about the legend and how he was informed of it when he was just a child. She looked down at her lap and blushed a bit as the Emperor made a fuss over her again. "I don't know about all that. I'm just a normal middle school student." She looked out into his garden at the well groomed trees and the tiny pink and white cherry blossoms on their branches.

"But I could always use more friends!"

He smiled and laughed a little. The girl had no idea that he loved her.

Miaka stood up and bowed to her host. "Thank you for explaining the legend to me. I hope I will make a good Suzaku no Miko. I'm going to try my best! Now I think I'll go hunt down something to eat. I'm starved!"

"Your company is always a pleasure, Miaka-sama. You're never a disturbance. Please, come to me any time you are worried or concerned. I will always tell you the truth. For that matter, come to me with the good stuff too."

As she left with a happy wave, feeling grateful to have made such a wonderful new friend, Hotohori let out a peaceful sigh. She was so beautiful it made his heart ache to look at her. She was perfect... and she did not love him. Yet.

***

Keisuke ducked out of view and into a courtyard as Miaka passed him by again, on her way to the kitchen. Her conversation with the Emperor hadn't exactly put his worries to bed. Why would they want a 15 year old girl to save the world?

He felt a tap on the shoulder and jumped straight up into the air in shock. Tetsuya stood calmly behind him, shades firmly affixed to his face, finger still outstretched.

"You know, you probably could have handled the situation with that Kouji guy a little better. Now you're spying on her?"

The two boys from Japan were alone in the middle of a palace courtyard.

Keisuke whirled on Tetsuya when he spoke.

"Oh? And what am I supposed to say?! My sister is possibly having sex with a guy she must've met all of... yesterday! And now she's going to be some mystical priestess who will 'save the world' we're in? What kind of danger does that put her in? Not to mention she could get pregnant, or whatever kinds of diseases that bandit has, and dammit she's only 15!" his words ran together.

He paused to take a breath, and in that moment, he actually took a look at his pal. He sighed and brought a hand to his head.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take it out on you. She's never acted this way before."

Tetsuya waved it off. "It's all right." A slight grin crossed his lips. "I have to admit, I've never seen you do the 'protective big brother' thing before. It's...refreshing, for a change. Anyways, to address your concerns..."

He began ticking them off individually on his fingers. "One: If your sister's serious about becoming the priestess, then she can't have sex. I did a bit of reading last night, and everything I've seen so far says that the priestess has to be virginal for the entire thing to work. Two: Remember what Miss Kourin said? If your sister does become the priestess, she'll have seven 'celestial warriors' to protect her, which is really a lot more than what either of us can do to keep her safe. Three..." Here he paused and shrugged. "Well, if she wants to become the priestess and you're set against it, that's really something for you to work out between yourselves. It's not my place to say.

"But I'm a bit curious. Did you have anything in mind to do after we found your sister and Yui? And I don't mean something in general like 'finding a way home,' I meant specifics."

Now... was Miaka more serious about becoming the savior of an entire country, or going to bed with a sleazy scar-faced bandit? Keisuke grimaced at the thought.

"I... I don't know," Keisuke admitted.

"We can assume that we're in a pseudo-ancient Chinese world, and that it has something to do with that book we picked up in the library. Maybe if we find the book, we can get back home?"

It was lame. He knew that. But lame was better than non-existent.

"I still don't believe this whole 'Suzaku no Miko' thing, but... I guess we have nothing else to go on. Still, first, we need to find Yui," Keisuke paused and stared off in the direction Miaka went, "Miaka doesn't seem to care that her best friend is missing, and that bothers me the most."

He turned back to look at those familiar shades, "Let's talk to Houjun-san about all of this. He and the Emperor seem to know the most about everything."

"You think the book itself's been transported to this world too?" Tetsuya wondered. He shrugged. "Valid guess, but the chances of finding a _book_ in this entire world are way smaller than finding a person." _Which are already small enough to begin with,_ he didn't add.

He followed the direction of Keisuke's glance. "Maybe she doesn't know Yui's here too. I mean, if _I_ hadn't met up with you almost immediately upon arriving in this world, I wouldn't have thought that you'd been sent here too. We don't even know that Yui's here. Maybe she was left behind in the 'real' world."

It was weak though, and both of them knew it. Besides, if Miaka hadn't thought that Yui was here, she should now that she'd seen Keisuke and Tetsuya. Maybe the pin hadn't dropped yet and the thought hadn't registered?

Keisuke rubbed the back of his head.

"I guess so," he responded, though he was not fully convinced.

"No matter what we look for, it's going to be difficult. I know we studied a little bit last night, but we should learn as much as we can about this world and the legend of the miko. Houjun-san and the Emperor are our best bets. Maybe Houjun-san can talk the Emperor into a conference with all of us? Miaka, too..."

"It's a start," Tetsuya agreed. "Might as well ask if the Emperor can spare a few men to keep an eye out for Yui in case she's been pulled to this world too. We've been so preoccupied with looking for your sister that the search might've been called off now that she's been found."

He made a minor adjustment to his shades. "I suppose that's just about everything for now. Unless you're still planning to have a talk with your sister about this miko business."

Keisuke shook his head sadly.

"No, if we can get everyone together to talk about it, maybe she'll listen."

He led the way out of the courtyard, back into the opulent palace, and past the construction on Kaen's guest room. He stopped for a moment to survey the wreckage. With the Saihitei-sama's help, they had gotten off surprisingly easily. He had never done so much bowing in his life.

It was later revealed that the man who was found dead in Kaen's room had slipped her drugs in order to...

Keisuke gritted his teeth. People like that didn't deserve to be called men.

Miraculously, lightning had struck him dead before he could really do any damage. Since then, Kaen had been recovering in a separate room, rarely allowing visitors.

"I'd like to check on Kaen-san," he said, staring blankly ahead, "Maybe she'll be interested in joining us. She seems to like helping people. And it might take her mind off..." he trailed off.

"If you can find Houjun-san or talk to the Emperor, then I'll meet up with you outside of..." he looked around for a good spot, "Outside of the map room. Is that okay?"

"Sure," Tetsuya nodded, trailing after Keisuke. "The Emperor shouldn't be hard to locate; all I--or you, really--have to do is corner a guard or servant and ask where he is. Houjun-san might be a little trickier to find, but I'll do it."

He paused. Keisuke's back was turned to him, so Tetsuya couldn't see his friend's expression, but his tone of voice and the slump of his shoulders said enough. "You're not blaming yourself for what happened to Kaen-san, are you?" That was putting it not only too bluntly but too easily to be misconstrued, he realized too late. With a mental grimace, he soldiered on. "I mean, yeah, you weren't responsible to what happened to her or what she did in retaliation, it's just.... You're not blaming yourself for not checking to see if she was all right in her own quarters or anything like that, are you?"

For a moment, Keisuke continued to stare, unseeing, into the ashen pile.

"Kaen-san is incredibly strong, but all they see her as is..." he said.

"It wasn't my fault, I know. I couldn't have known what was going on. She probably would've wrung my neck for checking on her if nothing was going on. I can't blame anyone but the guy who tried it, and he's already paid."

When he turned to face Tetsuya, he had a forced smile on his face.

"Guess all I can do now is make sure she doesn't think we're all like that, huh?" he finished.

Their paths branched off, as Tetsuya went to search for Houjun.

"See you later, man..." Keisuke began to walk in the opposite direction and stopped. Without looking back, he gave his best friend a simple, "Thanks, Tetsuya."

It wasn't long before Keisuke arrived at Kaen's door. He stood outside, nervously studying the wood grain, as he tried to think of something to say.

A simple how are you? Or maybe he should have more of a purpose? What if he brought her something? Hmm...

He heard gasps and giggling nearby and came back to himself.

Two servant girls were looking at him with wide grins on their faces. He followed their line of sight down to his chest... where he'd been subconsciously rubbing the injury he'd received. He yanked his hand away and blushed.

Once they'd passed, he let out a sigh. He definitely couldn't be doing that when he walked in there. One more deep breath and he knocked on the door.

"Kaen-san? It's me, Keisuke."

Kaen still didn't feel well. The combination of strange drugs and a fatigued body still recovering from injuries had been an unpleasant one. She was tired, and felt dizzy if she stood for too long. So there was nothing to do but hide away in her new room and contemplate how utterly she'd been humiliated. Which was still better than contemplating what had lead up to that humiliation.

At least she was being left alone.

She almost dropped her book when she heard the knock. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she marked her page.

"What do you want?" The question lacked her normal undertone of cold anger. She felt far too worn for that.

His hand froze mid-knock. That didn't sound like she really wanted company. But what could he do now?

"I, uh..."

Well, shit.

"I came to see how you were doing."

Though the truth, it wasn't very compelling. Maybe he should just leave her alone.

"But I won't bother you if you're tired," he said, and listened for her reply.

Keisuke was quite possibly the last person in the world she wanted to deal with. Well, actually, the Emperor was the literal last person in the world she wanted to deal with right now, because she had to watch what she was saying around him if nothing else. But Keisuke was a close second. He'd been party to some of the worst humiliation she'd felt upon sober reflection. Hanging on his arm like some sort of weak, love-sick girl...

Kaen grimaced, her face in her hands for a moment. It would be far too easy to say, 'Go away,' and he most likely would. It was also very tempting. But wouldn't that compound her shame? It would force her to admit to the world what she truly was doing right now, which was hiding. And Amazons didn't hide.

Kaen stood, wrapping her blanket more securely around her shoulders like a cloak. Her armor and sword had been saved from the fire, but the rest of her meager possessions had been a complete loss. To add insult to injury, she was forced to wear the clothing of the soft, submissive women of the palace until something more suitable could be made (which wouldn't take long, she'd been assured), because men's clothing didn't fit her at all.

Before she could think better of her decision, Kaen walked over to the door and slid it open, giving Keisuke a reasonably hostile look in the process. Without another word, she walked back over to the chair she'd been sitting in and sat down, mostly because she was already feeling light-headed.

Keisuke was greeted with a friendly glare-of-death. Though this made him wonder why she had even answered the door, he took the opportunity to come inside. He closed the door behind him, and stood awkwardly just before it for a moment before moving to her side.

Now that he was here, he was drawing a blank on what to say. The usual "How are you feeling? Are you all right? Would you like a cup of coffee?" type of dialogue didn't seem like it would work with someone so touchy.

"I..." he looked around the room, as if it'd tell him what to say. His eyes fell on a tapestry of Suzaku.

"My sister is here. I guess a bandit brought her in," he said as he sat on the windowsill and took in the view of the courtyard.

"We were in the Tokyo National Library, reading an ancient Chinese book, and then Tetsuya, Miaka, and I ended up here," he rest his elbow on his knee and his chin on his knuckles.

"Yui, my sister's best friend, was with us too. We don't know where she is now, but if that book had anything to do with it, then it's a good guess that she's here too."

He turned his troubled gaze to Kaen.

"You offered to help find Miaka before. So I thought you might want to look for Yui. I'm honestly worried about what might happen to her out there. After seeing Miaka..." he sighed.

She hadn't expected this turn of conversation. But she liked it far better than what she'd been expecting out of him. Kaen sat up a bit straighter in her seat, her protective blanket cloak sliding from her shoulders, all but forgotten. A woman in need of help - that was what she was here for! A chance to redeem herself.

"I am honored that you wish for my help," she said. "And of course, I cannot refuse. When do we leave?"

Something in his tone caught her attention, and she re-ran his words through her mind. "Wait, a bandit? A bandit brought your sister in?" Her face became dark with anger, though it was not directed at Keisuke. "Has that scum injured her virtue? I'll castrate him myself!"

Keisuke smiled a bit. He could see it again, that sharpness and strength he'd seen when they first met. But his smile dropped into a grimace at the mention of castration. He just _had_ to have sympathy pains for that that stupid bandit.

"I wouldn't say that, exactly..."

Great, what could he say now? If he said what he was really thinking, he might end up dead, and it certainly didn't help the case he was trying to make that all men weren't horny jerks.

"They must've met before yesterday, but already," he raised a hand to his forehead, "I don't know what's gotten into her, but I guess if she's going to be Suzaku no Miko, they can't do anything anyway, so..."

Kaen frowned. "If she is to be a priestess of some sort, than a bandit is even less suitable company," she said, her expression dangerously close to being... prim.

She was rather nonplussed at the idea of the girl being the servant of some undoubtedly male God. Well, it was her decision. As long as it was her decision, actually.

"Is it her choice to be the priestess?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. Women from the outside world, whether the mainland or from whatever bizarre place these people came from, were very strange.

"I can't say I'm happy about it either, but there's not much I can do. She said that the Emperor told her that legend, you know, about the miko and the seven seishi saving the world? Then she decided to help them out," he replied.

"I guess we really don't have anything else to go on. Tetsuya's talking to Houjun-san and the Emperor to see if they can tell us anything else about it, and if they'll help us find Yui."

He looked over at her, "Do you know anything about it?"

Kaen shook her head, torn. She didn't like the idea that this girl was being convinced to do something that people were apparently keeping secrets about, but at the same time, she certainly didn't believe that Keisuke had any right to command his sister. Definitely not. Well, maybe a little right as the older sibling, but that still left her feeling very uncomfortable.

"I know nothing about it," Kaen said, "other than to know you said she'd be the priestess of Suzaku. I believe Suzaku is the patron God here. Anything more... I don't worship their gods. And the goddess of Nyosei has nothing similar to what you have told me."

She frowned slightly. "If you think they are coercing her... or being less than honest... I will talk with Houjun as well. You cannot force her to do anything. If you tried, I would punish you for it, as I would punish anyone else. But you are her older sibling. It is your right to try to convince her if you think she is wrong."

He sweat dropped at her assessment of the situation. He had a feeling being 'punished' would not be a pleasant experience. It sounded much more like the 'I'll put you in the hospital' version of the word than the 'Oh baby, punish me' version.

"Heh," Keisuke rubbed the back of his head nervously, "I don't really know what's going on. But Miaka wouldn't do something she didn't want to do."

He glanced out the window at the setting sun and rose from his seat.

"I should go see if Tetsuya managed to get a hold of Houjun-san or the Emperor. Maybe try to talk to Miaka again..." he frowned at that prospect but snapped out of it quickly with a forced smile.

"Thank you for helping out. The other day and with Yui-chan. Someone'll come get you for the meeting before we leave," he walked to the door.

"And Kaen-san..." he hesitated. At least he wasn't facing her; that was good, right? He took in a quick breath.

"I'm glad you're all right. If that jerk wasn't dead I'd... notthatyouneedmyhelporanything! Just..." he was babbling.

"Have a good night," he finished.

As if running from a bear, he swung open the door, stepped outside, and shut it behind himself.

Phew.

Kaen stared at the door after Keisuke had rushed out. She half frowned, but the expression became a small smile. She shook her head, picking up her book again. "Males," she murmured, snorting softly.

***

Hotohori had been wandering the palace halls, trying to get the memory of the way Miaka smelled out of his head. Eventually, he gave up and headed for the kitchen. He rarely went in there directly, but he was feeling out of sorts and the kitchen would be empty at this time in the evening.

He was surprised to find Kouji slumped over the small wooden table in the corner used by the kitchen staff for their own meals. He snagged some left over Peking duck, a big bottle of sake, and two small glasses, and then joined Kouji at the table.

"Hungry? Here..." he pushed the plate of duck towards him, "I thought we might enjoy a drink together." He filled the glasses and passed one to Kouji.

Kouji sat up, downed the glass in a single gulp, and took some duck. "Am I a complete idiot fer thinkin' that Miaka might love me back? I shoulda just went back t'th' mountain like I planned."

Staring at the empty glass, Kouji sighed. He was already drunk and his only intention now was to get drunker and hope for the feeling of her lips on his to go away.

Hotohori smirked. He refilled Kouji's glass while only delicately sipping at his own. "An idiot, probably, but Miaka is a beautiful, sweet girl. I suppose it's understandable for her to be loved by anyone lucky enough to meet her."

Smiling over at the Emperor as he began to feel the effects of the fresh drink, Kouji lifted his glass in a toast. "Well then this one's t' lovin' Miaka!"

They both downed their glasses.

Hotohori could feel his cheeks burning. The bandit was almost… fun. "So what was your life as a bandit like before Miaka came along? I rarely get the chance to converse with people like yourself."

Kouji leaned rather comfortably against the stone wall, then shrugged as he finished another drink. His past was a rather tumultuous sea of emotions, most of which he had buried within his own heart.

"My past?" He chuckled as he poured himself another glass. "Heh... Been a bandit since I was an orphan. Parents died of disease, so I became a bandit in order t'support myself. Met Genrou a bit after that."

Motioning with his hands sloppily he grinned. "Me and Genrou didn't get along at first, but we've managed to become great buddies." He pointed to the scar that dragged itself down his left cheek. "Got this fighting alongside with Genrou. Before he became leader.

"Genrou was th'one who brought Miaka t' th'mountain," he remembered, with a soft voice, "Life's been crazy ever since."

"Genrou found Miaka first? Interesting." He poured them both another drink. "I would like to meet this Genrou... Perhaps we should head to the mountains first on our journey."

Kouji shrugged as he took the drink. "Heh, maybe I'll wait 'till yer headed that way. Make sure Miaka stays safe." He grinned at the now fuzzy image of the Emperor. He took another shot of the sake, enjoying the burn as it slid down his throat. "No beatin this here stuff. Gots a nice bite to it, eh?" His eyes were becoming heavy under the effect of the alcohol.

"It should be the best. It's made especially for the consumption of the Palace. Can't be bought."

Kouji stood up, wavering slightly. Whatever the Emperor had brought for them to drink had been very, very, strong, as Kouji realized he himself had become drunk. "Think I better get m'self t'bed!"

Hotohori got up and helped the bandit make his way up, feeling only slightly the effects of the alcohol. He had downed far fewer glasses than his bandit friend. As they drunkenly made their way up the steps, Kouji hit his head on a low plank, stumbling back slightly. Cursing in a steady murmur, he ducked and headed for the bright light.

He'd talk to Miaka in the morning, when he was sober.


	16. Chapter 15

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Imperial Palace, Eiyou; morning

The Emperor had slept soundly, dreaming of Miaka, Suzaku, and a peaceful empire. The reality when he awoke was much more grim. As he washed and dressed (with the assistance of his servants) an adviser got him up to date on the nights activities. The doctor had become intoxicated and thrown up in the hall, making quite a mess of things.

He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I assume the palace has been scrubbed clean already? If not I'd suggest you tell the servants to get it done before I step out of the room." He was wrapped in beautiful red silk robes. His hair was done up in a regal manner, though he preferred the look of it left down. He had business to attend to before they left to begin the pilgrimage. Most importantly, he needed to locate Kourin. Her cheerful smile and stern protection of the Emperor was something he sorely missed.

He gathered himself up and wandered through the hallway with his attendants. "I'd like you to find the Miko, Kouji, Kaen, Tetsuya, Keisuke, and Mitsukake. Ask them to come to the main hall at once." He watched them scurry away like mice, and he let out a sigh, pushing open the huge doors to the room.

Where on Earth had Kourin gone? If only the Monk was here to reassure him...

***

Kouji and Mitsukake accompanied Miaka to the main hall. Kouji had been trying to talk to Miaka about the kiss but Mitsukake's mere presence made it quite impossible. Kouji shoved his hands in his pockets and scowled as they entered the room. He wasn't really big on meeting Keisuke again but the spectacle-wearing one seemed to be somewhat decent.

Miaka entered the room behind Kouji and looked around nervously. "Why would the Emperor want to meet us all together?" She took a seat on a cushion on the floor and looked around.

***

He had demolished the bandit on the mountain, before tromping back the way he came. The scent of blood following him down the path.

He had detoured enough.

He moved along the road side, sniffing out the girl Miaka's stale scent.

He found a small river, recently flooded and still swollen slightly. The tang of her skin teasing his nostrils.

He stalked over to a small boulder and found a small amount of her hair. He scraped it off of the rock and lifted it to his mouth, tasting and smelling the strands, getting a new sense of the girl he was chasing.

He could now find her anywhere.

With a howl he bolted through the river and onto the other side.

Many days -- and a stop at a ravaged town -- later brought him to the window of the palace of his master's enemies.

He peered inside, watching with glee in his eyes as the girl he was looking for sat on the floor while two male companions stood nearby. He cared not for the males in the room with her; she was his only target.

He dashed into the room, scooped up the girl and leapt out the window and into the shadows where he vanished with almost no trace.

The muffled screams of his prey echoed into the stillness of the woods.

His master would be so proud...

Kouji turned from Mitsukake when he felt the air move violently, as if something had passed near him. His eyes shot open wide as he tensed, ignoring the pain of his still healing arm as he glanced at where Miaka was.

She had vanished into thin air.

Glancing around, his jaw opening in shock, he turned towards Mitsukake in a panic. "Miaka!? Where'd-"

Kouji glanced around frantically, breathing hard as he tried to calm himself down. He turned towards where the guards were posted, not caring about status or wealth as he grabbed one of them by the arm. "Get the Emperor!"

To the other guard, he snapped, "Sound th' alarm, dammit! The Miko is gone!"

The guards ran off and Kouji began to follow them when a heavy hand came down on his shoulder. Mitsukake was staring at him, shaking his head.

"You aren't one of her protectors. This isn't your fight. Let us take care of this. You'll just get hurt."

Kouji's face contorted, frustrated by the truth of the words that he refused to admit to himself. If that kiss meant something, then shouldn't he be the one to save her? "I'm going! You wait around if you want, but I'll be the one to save Miaka and bring her back before you've even come up with a plan!"

***

Hotohori was approaching the throne room when he heard Kouji's panicked cry. He broke into a run towards his throne room, but as he hurried inside he realized it was too late. Before he could react, Miaka was gone and Kouji with her… Chasing down a huge beast he could likely never kill. "Quick! After them!" He, Mitsukake, and a troop of guards chased after them as quickly as possible, but the thing disappeared as did Kouji.

"This... isn't good," the Emperor looked to the sky. There was one person who could be responsible for this. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew who could be behind the whole thing. Could he really head towards enemy territory, relatively unprotected? A troop of guards would start a war... the seishi were scattered.

He needed information on where they all were. More importantly, he needed something with which to barter. What could be worth a Priestess though? "Stand down men." He gestured to various troops, asking them to follow as far as they could and report back the location the beast went, if possible.

"Now is the moment the Seishi need to present themselves." Realization flooded over him. That child! He would surely be smart enough to assist in this matter! "You there! Find the boy child who warned of the pending trouble. Find him and bring him to me at once."

Ou dreamed. Flashes of red and blue lightning crackled across the sky, as a firebird and a dragon warred. The light of the phoenix's flame illustrated the claw marks already on the dragon's face. Below the great beasts, armies clashed, staining the ground beneath them with blood. As the two armies continued to strain at each other, the sound of clattering armor grew louder...

...until Ou opened his eyes, and saw the guard standing in the doorway.

"The Emperor requires your presence. Dress and come with me immediately."

"What happened?"

"I was not told. The Emperor requires you. Come."

Ou dressed as fast as he could and hurried to the Emperor's presence. Once there, he bowed his greetings and waited for the Emperor to give instructions.

"I am glad to see you here. The situation is... dire." He took a few deep breaths and headed back towards the throne room. "Miaka has been taken by a creature who appeared more like a beast than a man. Kouji has foolishly gone after her, "

His tone was gravely serious and fraught with worry. His beloved Miaka... in danger... If Kutou was behind this, there would be hell to pay.

"I am hoping that your intelligence will help in this matter. Have you heard of such a creature before?"

Ou shrugged. "Begging your pardon, Majesty, but there are tales of beast-men throughout time and place. Fishers claim to see mer-people, nomad raiders are mistaken for horse people, woodsmen see wolf people, everyone's claimed to have seen the phoenix of Suzaku at least once in their lives, and travelers and bards claim to have seen anything that will buy them a drink or a bed. My apologies, Majesty, but you'll have to be more specific."

"More specific... well I'm afraid I didn't get a look at his face. But he certainly wanted Miaka badly enough to simply fly in and snatch her. He was more swift than any human I've seen. My gut tells me that Kutou is behind this. How likely is the possibility they are responsible?"

"If you think it's Qu-Dong, Majesty, then... well, there have been tales of a wolf man very recently around the border between our two countries. No one has gotten a good glimpse at whatever it or he is, but the accounts agree on the place and the savage method of the beast man that they might be plausible. If this wolf man is the same one, and in Qu-dong's employ, then I fear getting Lady Yuki back will require..."

The last word was almost inaudible.

...war."

Ou remembered his dream. The fighting, the blood, and... when the phoenix and dragon charged each other... he couldn't see which one fell from the sky. But one of them did, under the cloud of a great darkness. Of that much he was sure.

"Are you certain, Majesty? Is there any other way to find out? Is there any other course to take?" Ou was trembling. War was never good for the country, and weak as it was, it might finally mean the end of Suzaku's people.

"War..." He sat silent for a moment. "I have no intention of bringing war upon my people. You can be assured of that. Yet the seishi are scattered at the moment and I know of only a few. If I had more assistance, perhaps..."

He muttered to himself for a minute, trying to sort out the conflicting thoughts in his head. Miaka was in danger and right now all he could care about was saving her life. "It seems I have no choice. I must go to save her. I have guards on the trail of the beast who'll report back the location they headed. Miaka needs one of her seishi to come to her aid... It should be me."

The character on his neck began to glow red. "I'll go without guards, just whomever I can find to assist me on the journey. Thank you, Ou. I'm sure I'll encounter some of the seishi as I travel. Miaka's life may depend on it."

Ou felt a strange tingling as he saw the character on the Emperor's neck. "Hotohori... oh, Suzaku..." he murmured. The sign of the constellation warrior. It made sense that the Emperor would be a protector of the Priestess. Ou looked around at the others... and noticed some of them were staring at him, instead of the Emperor. Confused, he looked down. And saw his own mark.

"Chiriko," he said automatically, reading the character. And then the realization struck him. Not too much later, he fainted.

Hotohori dropped to his knees to catch the boy before he smacked into the ground. A glowing character of his own... this child. He smiled and picked the boy up.

"So you are a celestial warrior also, little one? Well then, perhaps you should get some rest while you can. We've got quite the journey to make."

He moved the boy into a side room, placing him on a futon while a maid quickly brought a cool, damp cloth. His highness folded and neatly placed it on Ou's head. "Poor child," he mumbled.

***

Within the blink of an eye, Miaka was swept out of the room and being carried through the woods. She screamed at the top of her lungs. Her shrill voice echoed through the trees, to meet more nothingness. Her cry for help was meeting with nobodies ears, she knew it.

What this beast was, that plucked her from the palace, she hadn't a clue... nor did she know why he would want her, other than for feeding purposes, but he didn't seem to want to eat her. Seeing as how he was more of a beast than a man, he wouldn't have waited so long to shred her to pieces.

Miaka's small, fragile body trembled within the beast's grasp and her breath was broken and quicker than a freight train.

_Where is it taking me?_

Dashing about in a mad panic, Kouji ran in the direction the beast had gone, his eyes fierce with determination. Whatever the hell had grabbed Miaka had to have vanished to somewhere safe enough for it to stop without being detected. Any bandit would've done the same.

He knew time was of the essence as he beckoned to one of the stable boys for a horse and a sword that, after much gesturing and explanation, granted him a ride and weapon. He leapt on the horse, tearing out of the Palace's east gates. With his lit up by the sun, Kouji looked towards the darkened wooded area in the north east, where they had come from.

A slightly muffled scream ripped across terrain and Kouji knew instantly this was the lead he had been waiting for. He practically embedded his kick in the horse's ribcage as he maneuvered it in that direction, veering straight off the path.

He spotted a oddly shaped creature in a small clearing and yanked back on the reigns as he neared it, the horse's front quarters lunging into the air with a violent neigh. Eyes fierce with determination, Kouji unsheathed the broadsword the stable boy had lent him and prepared to face off against the ugly creature with all his strength.

"Who th' hell are ya?" He demanded, his bandit accent cutting deep. "Hand th' girl over an' I may not harm ya as bad!"

Ashitare had stopped in a small clearing to re-adjust the girl slung over his shoulder to a more comfortable position when the sound of hoof-beats caught his ears.

He turned and watched as a slim man on a piebald gelding galloped towards them, his grip tightening on the girl's hip with every horse length the intruder came until his grip would have cut into her flesh if the girl hadn't whimpered.

He finally recognized the scent of the man on horse back as one mingling with the girl's own scent. This must be the bandit that had taken her from his master's clutches; perhaps his master would like to meet out punishment himself.

So, the bandit had grit. How amusing.

He growled low in his chest in warning as he gripped the girl over his shoulder tighter then sprang at the intruder, knocking him from his horse.

A howl cut through the night as he brought down a massive clawed fist towards the bandit's head.

The beast had speed. Kouji couldn't deny it as it sprang forward at him and his horse, knocking the creature nearly on top of his legs, pinning him to the spot. The sword lay several yards away, too far to reach.

Grimacing as he was pinned down, helpless, Kouji only wished he had had the strength to defend Miaka like he had promised her, not to leave her to be devoured by some wolfish monster. As a howl erupted from the beast, he watched, trying to raise his arms up to block the blow as one of its clawed fist barreled towards his head.

And then his world went black.

Ashitare bared his teeth in a wolfish grin as the bandit went slack. One single blow had put him out of commission; feh, full humans were so fragile.

He contemplated eating the unconscious bandit for a moment before shaking his shaggy head and hefting him over his other shoulder. The added burden would be nothing to a beast of his great strength.

Once again he ran through the woods, along the path towards Kutou with his two victims in tow. Perhaps his master would allow him to taste the bandit's flesh before he died...

It was after noon when he stopped to rest and feed himself, stopping in the ravaged town of Hakko to finish off the last remains of the carcasses left by whatever beasts had devoured the town. He tied his captives to a tree near, what looked like, a small family grave while he went to his macabre feast.

It was hours later before Kouji realized that he had miraculously survived. Groaning, he shook his head. He could feel that his body was bound but then a searing pain began to pulse through his forehead.

Blinking slowly, he tried to figure out where they were. In the sunlight, he saw his kidnapper snacking on the remains of what appeared to be a villager from the dismantled town around him. Fortunately, Miaka was tied up next to him. He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she was safe.

"What the hell happen'd?"

Miaka looked down at her lap. She was tired and her body was sore from being carried by the creature's rough grasp.

"I don't know," she uttered under her breath. "I wonder what he wants us for anyway. I was the only person he seemed to be after, but then he took you too." She frowned. "I thought it was because I'm the Miko, and that all of you would be safe. You should have stayed at the palace and let the guards and the seishi come."

Kouji scowled. He didn't like being lectured, especially by a girl who couldn't even protect herself. "When I said I'd protect you," he whispered angrily, "I didn't say I would leave you to some wolfish beast. I meant I would risk my life for you, Miaka."

Looking around for familiar scenery, he watched the wolf man-thing devour the flesh of a long deceased woman. "He got us out here this fast?" he questioned aloud. "Hell! We're close to Kutou."

He paused suddenly, biting on his lower lip. Kutou was not where he wanted to be heading - enemy territory to the miko and her seishi. He caught sight of the mountains far, far away on the horizon.

_Shit, this ain't good._

Miaka brightened up at the mention of Kutou. "So that means we will probably be seeing Tasuki and Nuriko again." She smiled and looked up at the sky. "What's so bad about that?" she asked cheerfully.

He tried to push away the tension and ignore the happy note her voice took when she spoke about his friend.

"Yeah," he forced a smile, "It'll be nice to see them."

Kouji twisted his broken arm against his back and reached for his pocket, growling under his breath as he fumbled for his sheathed knife. He grinned while pulling it out. Shifting his hands so that the sharp edge of the knife was on the rope, Kouji furrowed his eyebrows in concentration as he began to desperately saw.

Ashitare heard every word of their conversation, silently wondering what a 'Nuriko' and a 'Tasuki' were and if they smelled as tasty as these two did.

The soft cutting sound of a knife on rope pulled his attention over to the bandit and girl, his eyes narrowing as he stalked around to their blind side via the sparse trees.

He wrapped one clawed hand around the bandit's throat, tightening it marginally until the bandit squawked. His other hand moved down to the knife glinting between the loops in the rope. He snatched the knife away with a deep growl and stalked back to his meal.

He returned shortly with two large helpings of 'lady from the inn' meat and shoved it at them, grunting low in his chest as he tried to get them to eat.

Miaka shrieked and shook her head frantically as a bleeding corpse was shoved at the two of them. "Gah! Get it away!" She kicked her legs and fought with the rope keeping her so near to the corpse. She started to cry, no longer able to see through the fog of her tears. "Please don't eat me doggie man. I promise I don't taste good." Her voice was chopped up by sobs as she choked on them.

Kouji felt sick to his stomach. Already bugs and maggots were swarming over the remains, the grotesque scene making him try to avert his gaze. He turned his face towards the wolf man and frowned, shaking his head in the universal 'No we don't want to this' way.

"Oi!" he said to the creature when no response was evoked, "We don't eat our kind, ne? Can ya at least get us something cooked? Or some fruit?"

Ashitare growled and offered the meat once more to the male before shrugging and eating both helpings himself in a single squelching gulp.

The plea for fruit or 'cooked' meat startled him for a moment. Didn't they know that the meat lost all of its juicy flavor and the blood congealed when cooked? And fruit? Who ever heard of eating fruit? Shrugging again he nodded and wandered off into the forest.

After about an hour he returned, a dead and seemingly burnt whole chicken clutched in his grasp along with two softening apples he had found on the ground.

He offered them his efforts and hoped that they would be polite enough to accept this time.

As they sat there, tied against the tree, Kouji thought about a lot of things. If they had been wanted as a meal, the creature would have devoured them by now. No, they were being taken somewhere; somewhere that seemed to be in Kutou or beyond. But why? He couldn't put anything together just yet.

Before Miaka could speak, he decided to accept the items, bowing his head in a gentle nod as he motioned for at least one of his hands to be loosened from the rope, a smile on his face.

"My name is Kouji." He caught himself staring at the scars on the creature and had to force his eyes up. He asked, "What's your name? You do have a name, right?"

Ashitare looked skeptically at the bandit before nodding his head once and untying one of the girl's hands as well as one of the bandit's. He tore the chicken in half and handed shredded chunks to each of them.

Ashitare gave a rough 'murr' to show he was content with knowing his name but shook his head when asked for his name. He couldn't talk and so could not answer the seemingly polite man.

He gave another gruff murr and sat in front of the two people, watching them eat curiously.

Full humans were, indeed, strange creatures.

Kouji smiled, trying to understand the wolf's intentions. He did seem like a bad person/animal. Although there were scars all across his body, he seemed rather youthful in strength and personality.

Miaka took her portion of chicken graciously and was very happy to have her left wrist free of bondage. "Thank you."

"Thanks," Kouji said, accepting the food and wolfing down his portion. He motioned towards the east. He was tired. His wounds still had not healed and he could feel the slow wet flow of his own blood in his hair. Had that happened when he'd been knocked down earlier? Grimacing, he closed his eyelids in an effort to keep from passing out.

The scent of fresh blood tickled his nose and he cast a searching look at his captives. The male, Kouji, had his eyes closed and a weary look on his face.

Animal instinct took over and he prowled forward. Sharp claws snapping the knot, he drug Kouji out of the rope's hold and lay him on the grass before turning back and re-tying the girl.

He returned to Kouji, flipped him over onto his stomach and shredded his shirt. The scent wafted up to his nose causing his mouth to water.

He leaned down and ran his tongue along the broken flesh, a growl escaping him as his claws pricked Kouji's skin slightly and he set to work cleaning his wound the only way he knew how; by licking it clean.

Still thrashing weakly, Kouji felt the strange sensation of something hot and wet lapping at the wound. The creature was trying to lick up the blood from the wound!

"Gah!" he squirmed, thinking he was next on the dinner list. "Stop that! What are you doing?" It occurred to Kouji that maybe he was trying to help the wound; isn't that what dogs do?

He tried to force a nervous smile. "You don't need to clean my wound. I can take care of myself."

Ashitare growled and grabbed the bandit again, turning him and sitting on Kouji's backside to keep him still so that he could finish cleaning the wound.

He pulled a much battered box out of his ratty tunic and pulled out a small roll of bandages, quickly wrapping the bandit's head up and climbing off of him.

Ashitare gave a contented murr and grabbed both Miaka and Kouji and drug them through the destroyed town to the small inn, picking his way over the more gruesome corpses along the stairs.

He brought them into a room and tied them together facing each other on the bed with a bit of the rope that still clung to the girl's wrists before curling up on the floor and dropping off to sleep. Even beast men needed a nap now and then.

A soft growling purr issuing from his throat as dreams over took him.

Miaka remained silent as the creature hauled her around like a doll, eventually leaving her in the inn, tied to Kouji.

_This is awkward…_

"We need to get out of here."

If they tried to escape, they would run the risk of sudden and violent death by the creature and no way in hell did Kouji want to be the guy's lunch. Add to that the fact he was still exhausted and they were left with little choice but to stay put.

Kouji knew by the way they were tied that the damaged rope that bound his and Miaka's hands and bodies could be undone easily but running would be suicide. Laying low for the moment would be a much safer choice until he figured out what the creature's intentions were.

"Miaka," he whispered softly as he worked on the ropes, sliding the bonds off his wrists. Using his now free arms to work at untying her, he continued. "Let's play it safe fer now. Ya know he would've eaten us already if he were acting on his own. Someone has gotta be his master and until we know their true intentions we just need to comply."

Exhausted and still in pain, he glanced down at the little wisps of silken fabric that clung to his skin… and then at Miaka.

"If we're headed to Kutou like I think we are, we're gonna be in deep shit pretty soon. I'll bet that the Kutou authority knows of your presence as the Suzaku no Miko; they were probably the ones who sent this guy after you. I just cannot fathom why the hell he took me with you.

"This is th' village we passed on the way to the capital. What th' hell happened here? Judging by our movements, if we do head into Kutou, we'll probably pass the mountain."

Miaka looked at the beast sleeping on the floor. "Why don't we want to be in Kutou?"

"Because," he explained, reaching to brush back a loose strand of her hair, "Kutou is the enemy and you're the Suzaku no Miko whose destined to save Konan. If Suzaku is summoned, then Kutou will never be able to invade our lands. They don't worship Suzaku, they follow some big blue dragon."

Miaka shifted uncomfortably at Kouji's touch. She didn't dislike him, but she didn't want him to get the wrong idea. Not that she knew what the right one was.

"Because I'm Suzaku no Miko the people in Kutou don't like me?" She paused and looked Kouji in the eyes. "Maybe I can change their minds. I don't want anybody to get hurt. I just want everyone to be happy."

Kouji couldn't help but smile at her innocence. She had no idea what she had gotten herself into here.

"Ya should get some rest, Miaka," he said. "I'll stay awake and watch over ya, okay?"

Miaka raised an eyebrow at Kouji and looked back at the beast. "You think there is any chance I could actually sleep with him in the room?" she whispered, "He scares me." She flopped onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.

"I'll protect ya, just like I promised," he said gently, wanting to ask her about the kiss but choosing not to, "Hell if he even thinks of trying to eat one of us, I'll give him hell."

Imperial Palace, Eiyou; ongoing… 

BAM! The door bust open. Keisuke stepped into the dim light of the room.

Inside laid the resting form of Tetsuya. He'd opted out of the morning meeting, instead asking Keisuke to fill him in later. He said something about being tired or sick or disturbed or some combination thereof.

Keisuke stomped to his best friend's side, grabbed him by the shirt collar, and hauled him up into a sitting position. He planted his face right in front of Tetsuya's. His eyes wild and frenzied.

"Miaka's been kidnapped!" he shouted, to the bleary-eyed one.

"How could this happen? She was in the palace! There are guards here! So many guards!" he said, letting Tetsuya fall from his grip, and stalking around the room.

"I was on my way to the meeting, but I got lost. I never got there, but everyone's talking about it. The bandit is gone too. Maybe it was him. I bet it was!" Keisuke stopped in the middle of the room.

"Kaen-san, she'll help us find her. She said she'd help find Yui. Now that Miaka's missing, she can--I--We need to talk to the Emperor!"

There was nothing like being startled awake and an impromptu info cram session to get the blood pumping. It would help if there were coffee nearby, but Tetsuya supposed beggars couldn't be choosers, so he'd have to make do with what he had. As tempting as it was to clonk Keisuke over the head with the nearest object (whether to slow his speech to a more understandable rate or merely for revenge for the rude awakening was debatable), he had to admit that at least this time Keisuke had a perfectly valid reason for being so agitated.

_Agitated. As if he's clothing going through the wash cycle._ More proof that Tetsuya's brain wasn't completely up to speed yet. "Okay," he said, hauling himself to his feet. He located his shades and slipped them on. "Okay."

Maybe he should expand his vocabulary a bit. "Um..." It wasn't working--he was still trying to slog through everything Keisuke had just dumped on him, so he just latched onto the last thing Keisuke had said. "Okay. Let's go."

He wasn't sure where to go first, but he knew they had to get there pretty fast. With Tetsuya close by, Keisuke rushed to the first place he knew how to get to.

This time there was no hesitation.

Banging on the door, he called out, "Kaen-san! It's Keisuke and Tetsuya."

Kou Household, East of the Castle

The woman was a whirlwind.

She had Tasuki stripped, bedded down, poison withdrawn, bandaged and resting comfortably faster than Nuriko could register exactly what was going on and now she was working on getting Chuei to take a thin broth.

He wasn't sure what to make of her screams of surprise and wonder over 'her poor little baby'; was Tasuki her child? Why didn't she call him 'Genrou' like the bandits had? A shard of worry pierced his chest as to this woman's sanity, but he shook it off. She seemed to be a skilled healer, if a little on the crazy side.

A knocking at the door caught his ears and he poked his head into the room the crazy lady was working in. "Anou, Obaa-san, someone is at your door. Do you want me to answer it?"

She nodded absently, fully intent on helping Chuei sip the broth.

Nuriko shrugged and walked down the hallway to the door, opening it and peeking outside.

Sou barged in and handed Ji-hime over to Nuriko.

"Here, take her in there and let her rest. Is Tasuki…?" He didn't want to ask. Afraid of the answer.

Nuriko blinked as Ji was shoved into his arms. He opened his mouth to ask a question but was forestalled by the question Sou asked. "A-ah, well, he's alive and seems to be resting comfortably. And so is chibi Sou."

There was suddenly a rush of release. It was like everything just let go at once and left Sou through his feet. He had to stop and grab on to the door jam for support. That mental note seemed to be kicking in. He breathed a sign of relief and smiled before he let the darkness take him over.

Finally, they could get off this mule ride of decrepitude. Once Ji was inside, she wanted nothing other than to have a warm bath and a bit of rest, but unfortunately, Sou had to go and pass out. This forced her into acting for just a bit longer.

Why didn't Suzaku build his warriors sturdier?

"Sou!" she called out in alarm.

She hadn't reacted in time to save him from slumping to his knees, but luckily he had then happened to fall forward. He tipped toward her, and she caught his head against her chest. Ji slipped her arms around his head.

"Oh, Sou. He must be so exhausted," she turned to look over her shoulder at Nuriko.

"Can you help him into bed?"

Nuriko sighed in relief at first but then frowned. Now he was going to have to ask the crazy lady to fix Sou up, too. He just hoped that she wouldn't claim that Sou was her child the same way that she had claimed Tasuki.

He nodded, taking Sou from her arms and carrying him to the back room where the crazy lady had stashed Tasuki and Chibi Sou.

"Obaa-san! We have another hurt boy out here and a lady that was travelling with us. Where do you want me to put them?"

The words had no sooner than left his lips when the red haired whirlwind made her appearance. "Oh dear. I'm afraid I haven't much room, Shun'u's in his bed and the little one's sleeping on a spare futon." Her eyes narrowed in thought before she nodded to herself. "I have two futons left. Your lady can have one, I'll move it into my daughter's room, and you can take the other, Purple-hair. Since this boy is hurt as well, put him in with Shun'u. I'll get him taken care of as soon as I get my supplies. GO now, what are you just standing there for! Go on!"

Nuriko jumped at the authoritative tone of voice and moved around the woman, carrying Sou down the hall and tucking him in bed beside Tasuki.

The woman turned to Ji-hime as Nuriko vanished into the room with Sou. "This way. I'll have Aidou show you to the pond in the morning so you can wash."

The crazy lady led Ji-hime to her daughter's room, opening the door softly and letting her inside. "Be careful of Aidou, she's a light sleeper and will talk your ear off once she realizes that you're here."

Crazy lady smiled and closed the door.

A match struck, heralding Aidou's waking and casting the room in a soft golden glow. "Don't pay any attention to Ma, she's crazy. I wouldn't talk you ear off... well, not if you asked me not to."

Aidou sat up in bed, smoothing the bed covers down. A riot of red-gold curls danced around a friendly face, hazel eyes sparkling in the dim light as she patted the bed beside her, her mouth moving almost constantly. "So, you came with another guy? Why would you put yourself in such a bad position as to willingly be seen with a male? Is he your husband? Is he cute? How do you guys know my brat brother? Why was he near death when he got here? Did you have something to do with that?"

Miboshi stood silently in the darkness of the room she had been ushered, no, more like hurried, into. She heard the scratchy sound of a match's ignition, saw the lighting of a lantern, and the room filled with flickering firelight.

She watched the shadows shift across Aidou's face. The blaze of red hair. Her sharp hazel eyes. There was no doubt that she was related to that ignorant buffoon.

It took her some time to decide whether she'd take the strange new woman up on her offer to sit next to her, but all thought fled from her mind as a barrage of questions rained down on her.

Her amazed stare was the only response for a full minute. She'd come here in search of rest, but it almost seemed as if this would be more exhausting than the run from the castle. This entire family had a knack for getting under her skin.

Maybe she'd be content with an answer to one question.

"I met Sou," she purposefully left off his honorific, "Nuriko, and your brother yesterday. There was..."

How to phrase this like Ji-hime might...

"Terrible things have happened to us, we were attacked by monsters... twice. I'm not sure whether my family is alive. Your brother is the only one who knows," she frowned, much too exhausted to spend much longer feigning anxiety.

"I am really... very tired," she finished.

Aidou gasped and immediately closed her mouth only to open it again. "Oh! I'm so sorry! Please, go ahead and get some sleep. I'll get your futon ready and let you rest now!"

A genki smile curved full, pink lips for a moment as she got out of bed and hurried to pull a thick futon out of a corner and lay it out nearest to the fire brazier, laid out blankets and a thick pillow, and climbed back in bed. She lay down, bid Ji-hime-sama a goodnight and blew out the lantern.

Crazy Ma Kou stood outside the door, listening to the exchange and smiling over her daughter's response to the young lady's tired explanation. She prided herself on having raised her daughters and son to be nothing if not polite. Unfortunately her son didn't always show off his good upbringing.

As the light went out under the door, Ma Kou sighed and went back to the room her patients were sleeping in and found that the purple haired boy was still sitting at their bedside with a little girl she hadn't seen before sleeping in his lap. Obviously the purple haired boy had gone to get her after getting the other injured boy to bed.

"You can roll out the spare futon and sleep in the common room with the little one, purple hair, I'm going to be up all night with these three. Shun'u has a terrible fever, the dark haired boy has lost a lot of blood, and the little one needs as much rest and care as he can get until his illness passes."

Nuriko stood and settled Yuiren more fully against his chest. "I'll put her down in the common room but I'll stay awake to help you out with these three. It's going to be a pretty rough night all by yourself."

Ma Kou nodded with a smile, "Thanks."

Nuriko went and lay Yuiren down in the common room on the futon and came back, getting water and fresh bandages as Obaa-san asked for them.

Sou woke from a thin, dark sleep. He remembered blinking awake slightly and being lulled back to sleep by a large red headed woman. He remembered waking once or twice by screaming himself conscious. It all seemed very surreal; the waking moments bleeding into the dreams. When he finally opened his eyes, the room was dark. There was a temporary rise of panic when he didn't recognize the room he was in. He bolted upright in the bed and blinked his surroundings into focus. He didn't know this place at all. He tried to put his hand to his head and panic grabbed at him again. He couldn't move his arm! Sou flashed a glance down at his arm only to find it was wrapped in white bandages and tied up to his shoulder in a sling. The memory of the bite came tumbling into his mind again. He grasped at his shoulder with his good arm and clenched his teeth.

The rest of the past few days came flooding back to him. He had awoken almost hopeful to see his own home, for all of the tragedy to have been a bad dream. The dull ache in his bones begged to differ with that fantasy. Yuiren, Chuei! He brought his attentions back to the room and scanned the darkness for them. Where was he? He vaguely remembered Nuriko's house in the woods and the moment before passing out in the doorway. Sou swung his legs out to get up and find them only to kick a heavy mass next to him. He inspected the road block, just a bunch of sheets and blankets. Sou pushed them aside and got up determined to find where his siblings had been stored. On the floor was his shirt and jacket, he picked up the shirt and flung it over his shoulder. It didn't help much against the cool night air, but it was something. Also, if he was a guest in someone's house, he didn't want to be running around half naked.

***

The beast slashed at Tasuki yet again, razor sharp claws dug into his skin making him cry out in agony. His body was tired and ready for a rest but the beast kept moving him and inflicting more pain, first punching him then dousing him in icy cold water and trying to drown him. For what felt like days, he fought the terrible monster while alternately freezing and sweating as the beast dragged him from one place to another.

He vaguely remembered seeing his mother's face during one of the few times that the beast left him alone. She had soothed and coddled him as she had while he was ill as a small child, but the monster always came back, dragging him away from her comfort. He raged and screamed, fighting with everything he had to get back to that small house, to his mother... only to fail each time.

Now he lay quiet and still, determined to not draw attention to himself as the monster shoved him away and retreated from the bed... Bed?

Tasuki cracked an eye open and sighed in relief when he recognized his old room in his mother's house. He'd gotten away from the beast but his mother was not at his side. Fearing that the beast had come for her, he shot up in bed and screamed. "MOTHER!"

A flurry of footsteps grabbed his attention and he squeezed his eyes shut, fearing that he was going to be dragged away again but soft arms slipped around him and crushed him into a familiar set of over large breasts.

He gasped in a single breath as his face was pushed into her generous chest and his hands came up to claw her away. All the while he fought, he could hear her cries of joy. "My baby! My poor little Shun'u! Oh! I'm so glad that you're finally awake!"

"Leggo... can't b-breath...! MA! LEGGO!" he forced out, her squees of happiness and her crushing embrace not letting up the tinniest bit as he thrashed and fought for air.

_An' people wonder why I hate women!_

There was a scream and then a giant red brick wall came barreling at him, throwing open the door and barely missing colliding with him. Stunned and surprised and a little bit frightened, Sou turned around to see where the person was going in such a rush. The large woman was sitting on what he now recognized as a bed and embracing something. He saw, dimly, a tuft of flame red hair. The rest of it was engulfed in the embrace. He heard the protesting and smiled, If Tasuki was well enough to be playing around, then he didn't have to be worried about him anymore. Did he just call her "ma"?

Sou retreated from the room, leaving the two to reunite. If this was Tasuki's family, he was going to have to add another check next to eerily coincidental occurrences this week. He shut the door, muffling the shouts, and walked out into what must have been the living room to find Nuriko -- Yuiren in his lap --, a woman he had never seen, and Ji-hime sitting by the fire. Sou, still a bit groggy, made his way over to a seat next to Nuriko.

As soon as she caught sight of her big brother walking into the room, Yuiren's face lit up, a wide smile brightening her small features. "NI-CHAN!" She wiggled excitedly in Nuriko's arms, holding out her own to her brother.

He sat down and gathered her in his one good arm, setting her on his lap. "I missed you Yuiren." He wrapped his arm around her a gave her a squeeze. "Have you been behaving for these very kind people?" He looked to the red head in the room.

She smiled and nodded. "You weren't gone too long Ni-chan"

Sou bowed his head to the other girl, "Thank you for taking us in, I'm sorry to have had to bother you.

Miboshi immediately perked up when Sou entered the room. She got to her feet, ready to lavish attention upon him due to his recent recovery, when the two foot tall brat beat her to it. Why hadn't she just died with her siblings?

Nuriko smiled in relief as Sou tottered sleepily into the room, the ball of energy that was Yuiren struggled and wiggled in his arms until Sou lifted her to sit in his lap. He cocked a glance at Aidou, as he'd been told her name was, and wondered at her sudden silence... not that he was going to ask her about it. The female version of Tasuki was far too chatty for his liking; going on about the foul nature of men, curiosity about her brother and Sou, and general rambling that overshadowed everyone else.

Now the girl was going to launch into another tirade, he could just feel it.

"N-no problem, sir. Mother is the one you need to thank, Nuriko and mother are the ones who tended you," Aidou whispered and promptly shut her mouth.

Sou looked to Nuriko. "Chuei?"

Nuriko was almost completely speechless. She had shut up of her own will. He looked at Sou, expecting to see some sort of magical aura around him that held Aidou in silence but saw nothing more than a curious glance as he asked about Chuei.

"O-oh! Yes, well, he's sleeping right now. He's back in Tasuki's room on a futon," Nuriko answered then frowned. "Didn't you see him? He was very near the bed you and Tasuki had to share. Maybe Mrs. Kou took him in for a bath and that's why you didn't-" He stopped and turned towards the hallway behind Sou and cocked a brow.

A loud thump, a screamed curse, the beat of feet against wood floors and the sound of two bodies crashing to said floor met his ears and Nuriko stood from his seat. "Excuse me, I think Tasuki is-" Again he was interrupted by the sounds of retreating footsteps and the sound of something being dragged down the hallway and the soft thump of a door being closed. "Never mind, Ma got him."

"Sou," Ji began quietly, but she was interrupted by another irritation - the ruckus in the back room.

That meant Tasuki was awake. Which meant she could question him about her father. Things just might get interesting once again.

She wandered off into the back room where Sou and Tasuki had been sleeping for nearly a day and a half, and she cracked open the door just a tad.

"Excuse me?" she called to the large woman behind the door, "May I speak with Tasuki for just a moment?" she asked timidly.

Tasuki's head shot up and hope welled in his heart when he heard the door open but it died a quick death when Ji-hime poked her head in.

Shit. How was he going to tell her about her father?

Ma took it out of his hands as she hurried to the door and ushered the orphaned princess into the room. "Of course! He's just a bit weak now but as long as he stays in bed he'll be okay. I'll just go check on dinner, take your time dear." She patted Ji on the head and stepped around her, closing the door quietly as she left the room.

Tasuki looked up at Ji, worry and fear in his heart.

_Shit, what am I gonna say?_

The door closed behind her, and Ji stood there staring at the floor in silence. When her eyes rose to meet Tasuki's, they were anxiously imploring him.

"Is... Did my father... Did he get away? Is he hiding somewhere?" she questioned.

Tasuki sighed as she asked about her father and sat up patting the edge of the bed. "Come here, Ji-hime. Sit down for a minute." His lack of 'bandit twang' would have alerted anyone who knew him that he was very serious.

Miboshi smirked evilly on the inside. That meant the old geezer had finally kicked the bucket, and no matter what else had gone on, Azazel had served his purpose.

Now it just came down to the ensuring angst-ridden act she'd have to enact at hearing the details of what happened to her Beast-Demon King. She cautiously took a seat next to him, looking up at him with the same fearful look frozen on her face.

Tasuki bit his lip, thinking out a way to tell her that wouldn't be a shock to her system; he didn't need her to pass out on his bed.

"Well, when I got back to the castle..." he paused then shook his head and charged forward. "There was this demon thing and he, well, he killed your father. I'm sorry Ji-hime. I killed the beast in your honor though, it was the least I could do for not getting there in time." He bowed his head and waited with gritted teeth for the waterworks to start.

Ji's hands were folded in her lap and her head bowed down. She listened to what he had to say in silence, and when he had finished, she had nothing to say in return.

_Good work, Azazel. I can't say I'm happy you went and got yourself killed, but good work. Your only failure was not killing this nimrod along with him._

It was time. Time to be heartbroken and devastated and all of those delightful emotions relating to despair. She kicked it off by trembling as if to contain the explosive emotions within her frail body.

"Father..." she said weakly as she tried to conjure up tears, "How can this be?"

Tasuki was expecting loud sobs or even screams -- he could handle those -- but this soft mewling sobbing tore at him. He frowned and scooted over to Ji's side, wrapping an arm around her slim shoulders and pulling her to his chest. "Shh, it'll be all right Ji-hime." He rocked her gently in his arms.

Ugh. He really was just a good guy, wasn't he? Not that it had been completely outside her realm of thought, but now he was holding her. The sensation felt so ancient and foreign, like a distantly remembered dream brought to life. Unfortunately, now it was more like a nightmare. She couldn't even squirm.

Or could she?

"No... no it won't be all right. It can't be! I'll never see him again," she wiggled out of his arms and shoved him back, "Never again! And it's all _your fault_!" she cried.

She took her opportunity to flee and dashed for the door.

Tasuki was stunned at the strength she used to escape his grasp and reached for her again but flinched back at her scathing words. It _was_ his fault. He'd promised to get her father out and failed.

She turned for the door, tears flying from her eyes like diamonds. Her hand on the knob, he spoke quietly. "I did the best I could. I'm sorry for your loss."

"You're _sorry_?! You're sorry and he's _dead_!" she screamed before throwing open the door and slamming it behind herself.

She tore through the living room, where the others stared at her with stunned looks on their faces. They must've heard her shouting. She was tempted to go to Sou, to drag him down into their own personal pit of despair, but so many others were sitting right there...

Instead, she bumped into him as she passed, turned to look at him, wild eyed and horrified, then ran for the door to the courtyard. Ji made it to the small fresh pond with the gurgling fountain where Aidou had taken her to wash up. She'd need this water if she was going to keep up her grieving façade. She dipped her hands into the water and splashed it all over her face, rubbing at her cheeks and eyes until they turned a nice shade of red.

Then, she waited. All she could hope was that Sou would follow her.

Sou sat slightly uncomfortably on the couch with Tasuki's sister watching him from the far side of the room. He tried to occupy his time by talking to Yuiren, but was finding it difficult. It was a breath of fresh air when The older woman appeared in the living room. He smiled and offered to help out around the house to pay for her generosity.

The two were mid introduction when he heard screams issuing from the back room. Ji-hime's screaming resounded through out the house, then there was a silence, another scream and then the slamming of a door. Sou stood up, intending to go to her when she came flying down the hallway into him instead. The streak of color that cleared the living room in a blink slammed into him, pushing him out of the way and running out the door.

"Ji-hime!" Sou called out to her as she fled. He glanced around the room at the stunned faces before taking off after her. Who knows where she would get to if they let her be. He knew she needed time, but the woods was a dangerous place for a princess.

Nuriko shot to his feet. He intended to go after her along with Sou but the sound of something in the back room caught his attention. Mrs. Kou moved to check on Tasuki when Nuriko caught her arm. "I'll go check on him. You worry over that delicious dinner I smell cooking. Aidou, won't you go help her?"

Aidou and Ma looked at each other then at Nuriko and nodded slowly before walking into the kitchens and closing the curtains.

Nuriko drew in a deep breath then walked cautiously towards Tasuki's bedroom. Soft curses punctuated by hard thumps drifted out to him and he pressed his ear to the door.

Tasuki sat on the floor, huddled between the side of the bed and the wall, arms wrapped around his knees and his head banging against the wall. Curses issued past his lips. "Damned... *grumble* bitch....*grumble* best I could...*grumble* so sorry..."

Nuriko sighed and opened the door, peeking his head into the room. "Tasuki?"

Tasuki's head shot up, his eyes red. "GET OUT! You think I don't already know it's my fucking fault? I don't need you rubbing it in, too! JUST GET OUT!" His head slamming back against the wall with enough force to send the sound echoing through the room. His hands came away from his knees to clench in his hair, pulling at the shaggy red strands in frustration.

Nuriko moved into the room anyway, walking slowly to Tasuki's side but keeping enough of a distance that if the bandit lashed out he wouldn't get hit. "Tasuki, it's not your fault. No one-"

Tasuki's growl cut him off mid-sentence. "Nuriko, you've been around me long enough to know that whenever I'm around... someone dies. Look at Sou's town! I'm fuckin' sure that if I wasn't there they'd still be alive! Don't tell me it's not my fault! My fuckin' boss is dead because I didn't get back in time; he was depending on me and I fucking failed. Just like I failed to get Ji's papa outta that monster's grasp. Just fuckin' go; I don't want ya dying too."

Nuriko gasped. Tasuki actually felt that everything that had happened was his fault? It tore at Nuriko's heart to see Tasuki so broken down but he didn't know how to fix it, so he nodded and backed out of the room. "All right Tasuki, I'll be back with your dinner in a little while." He closed the door when Tasuki didn't answer, he just stared at the wall with silent tears streaming down his cheeks.

***

Sou ran out the door, his mind already worried by what terrible monsters Ji could have encountered in... the.... he looked around. Courtyard. He was standing in an open courtyard with a garden to the side and a low stone wall. A small fountain stood in front of him and sitting there was Ji-hime, very much unharmed.

Ji heard someone's approach, and turned her head to see who it was. Sou. Excellent. Just the sap she wanted to see. She blinked water out of her eyes and looked up at him with a pitiful expression of absolute desolation.

"Sou…" she called his name in a kind of disbelieving daze.

She was crying. Her beautiful eyes, red with tears. As she looked up at him and spoke his name. He went to her and hesitantly gathered her in his arms. She was a princess, and he didn't want to over step his bounds, but she had just lost her father and probably just found out about his death.

"Ji-hime..." There was nothing more he could say. It wouldn't be ok. He knew the pain of losing family all too freshly. He just held her and let her cry; she needed someone to care right now.

Ji gripped his shirt tightly and wept against his chest. She mumbled something about 'father', 'everything', and 'nothing'. And for a good five minutes, she stayed that way, nuzzling her face against his clothes to wipe away the tears.

Choking down a sob, she pulled her face away just enough so that she could speak and be heard.

"He's gone. Father's gone. I-I'll never see him again," she sobbed, "I-I have nothing left. No one left in the entire world. He was my only family," at this moment, she had an idea, a positively wicked idea, "Even if he wasn't a… great person, and, and--he was still my father."

Sou let her lean against him, tensing then relaxing as she gripped his shirt and sobbed. He listened, a pained expression on his face. It was all too similar to what he had gone through, was still going through, and it tugged on his heart.

"I know it's hard, Ji-hime, but take the time you need to heal." He put his hand on her hair, the soft strands warm from the sun. "You have us now, you have me. We'll get through this. I'm sure your father always wanted the best for you." He spoke softly, slowly, letting her interrupt him if she needed to say anything. What did she mean by not being the best man? Even if the king made some bad decisions, he probably always had her best interests in mind.

She shook her head sadly, "No, father was… His lust for—No I shouldn't speak ill of him when he's…" she buried her head against him once again, "I-I'm such a bad person…"

"Sou, I don't know what to do. I'm not even a princess anymore, am I?"

He pulled her away so he could look her in the eye. "Listen to me, you're not a bad person. You're still a princess. In fact, you might even be a queen now, right? " He didn't know if that was true, but it sounded like that might be the way royalty work things.

He undid the tie on his belt and slipped it off, offering the end to her for a handkerchief. "Anything that happened, happened, but I don't understand what you're talking about." Genuine concern flooded in his eyes, as he waited for her to explain what she meant by 'lust'.

"Did he do something wrong?"

Ji's lost honey eyes looked up at Sou.

"He… sometimes… to me…" she turned her head and closed her eyes, "I can't. I can't say such things about him, not now. Even if I feel like I can tell you anything, I… no, not now. I… I'm a bad person. I'm a terrible person! My father is dead and I can't help but be a little relieved," she bowed her head in shame.

Hopefully he'd fill in the blanks himself. She had a bit more faith in his ability to put two and two together than her other present company, but that really wasn't saying much.

Sou tensed, as the words left Ji-hime's mouth.

"I'm sorry, Ji-hime." There was nothing he could say to make something like that better.

At that, she looked back up at him.

He gazed into her eyes. The poor girl was confused and lost, not knowing whether to grieve or be relieved. "You're not a bad person. HE shouldn't ever have the right to ..." he trailed off.

"But I still love him... loved... him…" she whispered before slipping into dry sobs again.

Sou drew her to his chest and cradled her there. He rocked her gently from side to side, as if lulling a child to sleep.

***

Tasuki sighed as Nuriko closed the door; he knew what he had to do now.

He couldn't take the chance; too many innocent people could get hurt if he stayed and Ji-hime had already made it perfectly clear who she blamed for the death of her father. Tasuki.

He bolted the door, moving over to his dresser and, taking out the spare set of clothes he kept at his mother's house for emergencies, he thought over what all he might have done differently.

If he'd moved faster, driven himself to his limits, maybe then anyone who had depended on him would still be alive.

His boss had needed him to get medicines to save him and had trusted Tasuki to get them. He failed.

Ji-hime had depended on him to save her father. Again, he had failed.

The people of Sou's village, while not depending on him per se, still died because he couldn't save them. Even some of Sou's family had died because of him.

His father had needed him to pull him out of the lake and keep him from drowning, but he'd failed at that, too.

Was that his lot in life? To be a constant failure?

He dressed hurriedly, taking no care for the bandages that held his skin together, and grabbed up a handful of cord to secure his tessen to his back. He would take it back to the mountain. Find someone worthy of it and tell them the incantation to use it. Then... then he'd find the deepest, darkest hole to crawl in and die.

Snatching up brush, ink, and paper, he jotted down a short note to his family and the people he was leaving behind.

_Everyone,_

I'm sorry for not bein' a better seishi than I was. I guess you was right Ma; I wasn't gonna do nobody any damn good. Ji-hime, I know ya said ya wouldn't forgive me fer lettin' yer papa die an' I can't blame ya, but I wanted ya t'know I was sorry. Sou-san, fergive me fer everythin'. I wanted things I just couldn't have. I hope yer happy with Ji-hime, she's a good girl. Nuri-chan, sorry I didn't get t'meet up with th' rest a th' Suzaku seishi with ya. Give 'em my apologies fer not bein' there. Ma an' Aidou, sorry I wasn't a better kid an' little brother. I guess I didn't try hard enough.

~Kou Shun'u, Genrou, Tasuki

He set the note on the bed, unbolted the door, and climbed out the window. He took one last look inside at the lonely and sparse room that had once been his and shook his head in regret as he eased around the side of the house towards the stables.

He could see Sou and Ji-hime in the courtyard at the fountain, his only problem was that they sat between him and the stables. He frowned and set his jaw as he dashed as fast as he could towards the stables, praying that he'd not been seen.

He leapt onto one of the old nags and kicked her out through the stables door, galloping past Sou and Ji-hime and quickly melting into the woods.

***

The crying started to fade. The sobs came in slow hiccups. Sou held her until they quieted then he carefully pulled her away, looking sympathetically into her eyes.

"Let's get you inside. You can wash up and rest." He spoke gently, almost a whisper.

Trying a soft smile, Sou stood up with her. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders to help support wobbly legs.

In the far corner of his vision he saw Tasuki near what must have been a barn of some kind. He felt relieved that Tasuki was recovering well, guessing that his traveling companion had healed enough to be out an about. He vaguely wondered what the conversation between him and Ji-hime had sounded like before she ran out into the courtyard, but his thoughts were side track when the doors to the stable slammed open and out shot Tasuki like an arrow. He stopped and turned, confused at why he would be ridding in his condition and where he was going in such a hurry.

"Where do you think…." He questioned his own thoughts.

Miboshi glanced in the direction Tasuki had taken off. Good riddance. In fact, it might do her good to send someone after him to finish the job. She rolled that delicious idea over in her head.

Ji tugged on Sou's arm and shook her head silently.

Sou's thoughts were punctuated by Ji-hime's tug on his jacket. He looked down, remembering his duty to her.

"We'll find out later, let's get you in."

He opened the door and walked her in. He led her in through back of the house, opened the door to a bedroom, and set her down on the bed. He picked up a pillow and placed it in her still shaking hands. Hoping to make her more comfortable.

"I'll get you some water," he turned to leave, "And I'll make sure the family knows to let you be for a while, you need time alone."

Ji allowed herself to be seated. She stared at the floor and nodded to everything he said, hugging the pillow he'd handed her to her chest. Just as he was leaving, she called to him.

"Sou…" she paused, and lifted her gaze from the floor, "Thank you. Thank you so much…"

Sou glanced back over his shoulder at the princess. "It's the least I could do."

He shut the door and headed for the kitchen.

***

Nuriko had just finished placing the proper utensils on the tray, hoisting it up as he turned towards the door. Per Ma, Tasuki was gonna have a simple meal of soup and bread with a mug of water to wash it down. Nuriko softened his gaze as Sou entered the kitchen, and excused himself as he carried the tray to the red head's room.

Knocking once, Nuriko called out through the wood, "Tasuki-kun, I got some yummies for you to make you feel better!" When there was no response, he opened the door, expecting to find Tasuki curled up on the bed.

That was not what he saw.

The sound of the tray falling to the ground, clattering viciously as Nuriko cursed loudly, his eyes locked on the open window.

"Dammit! Where does he think he's going?"

Silence.

"Sou!"

Sou exchanged nods with Nuriko and poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the counter. He had just set it down on the nightstand next to the bed when there was a loud clatter from down the hall. Sou jumped to attention and ran to the hallway to hear Nuriko screaming his name.

"What happened?" He saw the broken shards of pottery on the floor. Sou stepped into the dark room, looking over his shoulder at Nuriko who was running out of the front door. There was nothing there out of the ordinary: a dresser, a lamp, a bed. Sou squinted. On the bed lay a small piece of paper. He picked it up and scanned through it. Breathing a sigh, he put the note in his pocket. He was confused and tired and this day just wouldn't let him rest. Sou took off after them. "Nuriko!"

Nuriko bolted around the house, looking for any sign of Tasuki and ignoring Sou's question in his haste to find his bandit friend.

_He couldn't have gone far, he's too injured to ride a horse... but after what he said earlier about everything being his fault, maybe..._

He ran for the stables, praying to all four gods that he'd find two horses in the stables rather than one. He kicked open the large doors and peered into the darkness of the closed barn.

"Sou!" Nuriko spun, grabbing for the man who had been calling out for him. "Sou! Where is he?! Did you see where he went?! He thinks it's all his fault."

He released Sou's shoulders. "He's so fast we'll never catch him if he decides to go on foot. Damn fool Tasuki!"

Sou pulled out the letter and handed it to his companion. "I think it might be worse than you think," he said, handing over the note.

Before Nuriko was done reading it, Sou had gone over to the stables. He found the one horse that was left and prayed that it might be faster than the one Tasuki had taken out. Nuriko didn't seem the kind to fool around in situations like this, and if he said Tasuki was in trouble, then they had to hurry. He placed the saddle on the horse's back and pulled the straps tight.

"Someone has to stay here with Ji-hime, she's just lost her family and might need someone by her side." He gave the reins to Nuriko. "I wish I could go, but..." he looked over to the house, "I think Ji-hime feels most comfortable me. Let him know I don't blame him for anything. Please. I owe Tasuki my sincere gratitude for fighting along side me."

Nuriko glanced over the note; the handwriting was terrible! He squinted and strained to make out just what was written. When Sou returned and explained, he got to his feet, taking the reigns in one hand while crushing Sou in a hug with the other.

Sou felt his ribs creaking under Nuriko's grip. He tried to smile and assure his friend it would be ok, but what came out was "...UGh...eeeee (cough sputter)..GO!" He patted him on the back, his face turning blue.

Nuriko giggled nervously and released Sou, patting him as gently as he could. "Sorry, I forget my own strength." He turned and got up on the horse's back. "You keep things calm around here while I go get my Tasuki-chan. I hope I won't have to kiss him into a better mood like last time," he winked at Sou and flicked his braid over his shoulder as he kicked his horse into motion.

"I'll give him a kiss from you, too, Sou!"

Sou nearly choked.

"No... what!? I..." he sputtered, wide-eyed and confused. But Nuriko was already long gone. Sou stood and shook off the confusion. "I'm going back in the house," he said out loud to himself, shaking his head. Someone had to tell Tasuki's mother what was going on.

***

Miboshi sat alone in the room where she'd been left. She could hear the distant shouting between Nuriko and Sou. No doubt it was related to that imbecile's departure. Her suspicions were confirmed when a crow touched down on her windowsill. His red eyes gleamed as he 'spoke'.

_Thinks it's all his fault, they say. He's headed into the mountain-forest. Purple-haired one is going after him._

Miboshi smiled wickedly.

_Oh? I have a dear friend who lives there. Send a message for me. Find Yama-uba and tell her the most decadent meal she's ever had is headed her way. A red-head, a Suzaku Seishi named Tasuki. Tell her what you've told me, and that her most advantageous form would be that of a man named Sou - his unrequited crush._

The crow ruffled its feathers, hopped up once and landed, then took off into the sky.

Miboshi giggled into her pillow. Well, he'd never be bothering them again.


	17. Chapter 16

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Hakko, Eiyou

Kouji woke slowly; a growling snore shocked him enough to jerk upright in bed. He blinked bleary eyes, remembering their situation, and squinted against the sunlight that peeked through the windows.

Miaka lay sleeping beside him, her lips smiling slightly as though she were dreaming of something wonderful. It was that smile, just that sweet curving of her lips that made his heart clench.

He couldn't leave her in danger here, but he highly doubted he could get her away safely and there was no way he would even dream of sending her out on her own.

Perhaps he could talk to the wolf man, make him see that he was making a mistake in taking Miaka away from the safety of the palace... _No, he ain't gonna just let 'er go. Someone must'a sent him after her… but who? Shit! I'm a hafta make sure I stick with 'em an' find out just who th' bastard what wants Mi-chan is so's I c'n kick his ass!_

He sighed and lay back down beside Miaka, running his fingers gently through the wispy tendrils of her hair.

_ Damned wolf-man snores worse than Genrou!_

Treetop to treetop; the monk evaporated into thin air on one only to reappear on another. He'd never missed a beat in his pursuit of Suzaku no Miko's kidnapper, and he'd kept a close watch on their every move.

He made no effort to interfere when the beast man seemed to devour the bandit. It appeared, despite everything, that the wolf meant Suzaku no Miko and Kouji, as he'd come to learn was his name, no harm. In fact, he was almost caring towards them. And Chichiri knew exactly why.

That man was a Seiryuu Seishi. If he knew enough to swipe the miko from the Emperor's palace, then there was no doubt he was not acting on his own.

Chichiri's eye narrowed beneath his mask.

They left the shelter of the tree to check into an abandoned inn. Chichiri followed, shaking his head at the dead bodies strewn about. All had been ripped apart, shredded, or half-eaten, men, women, children, and the elderly alike. Though the telltale signs pointed toward the beast man as culprit, there was no way he could have accomplished so much alone. The villagers would have ample time to flee from a lone attacker.

The three turned down for the night. The monk sat alone on a tree branch, contemplating his next move. This man was only a pet, a pawn, a servant. His master was the real enemy. If he rescued them now, they would never find out who was really behind this. But what if they met up with the puppeteer and he was too much to handle?

By morning, he had made his decision. He would follow them as long as caution would allow in an attempt to find the master cloaked in shadow, then he would make his move to rescue Suzaku no Miko. After all, it appeared that for now they would be safe from harm.

_Just don't do anything stupid, no da,_ he mentally pleaded with the captured ones.

Miaka rolled and groaned. She was still so tired and a new day meant being carted around on the half-man's back again. Not something she was looking forward to at all. Kouji had already awoken and was sitting up in the bed, looking deep in thought. She kept her eyes tightly closed, not wanting to accept the reality of her situation.

Light teased Ashitare's closed eyes and he slit them open, he heard the female's whimper and the male's shifting. Bringing him completely awake.

He yawned and stretched, popping his joints as he sat up, massive jaws yawning widely and a puppy-ish sound of sleepiness pulling from his lips. He got to his feet and grunted at the man sitting up on the bed, gesturing for him to get up and follow him out of the room.

When the beast-like man gestured for him to follow, Kouji gulped, slowly sliding his feet off the bed and following silently behind. He was nervous. Maybe the wolf man wanted to kill him away from Miaka? He pushed the idea aside as he ducked through the doorway and stomped down the rickety steps to the door outside. He was greeted by the blinding light of the morning.

The door flew open and the wolf man and the bandit emerged. Chichiri kept a close watch from his perch above in the trees. So far he'd been doing a good job of keeping downwind, but it left his options somewhat limited.

Ashitare grabbed Kouji's shoulder and dragged him towards the kitchens of the inn. The doors swung wide to reveal mass carnage and Ashitare quickly moved to the nearest serving girl, dragging Kouji along. He dug his claws into the girls flesh, tearing away large hunks of bloodied meat. He turned to hand the meat to Kouji.

Watching in shock and horror as the thing dumped pieces of what was once a girl in his hands, Kouji gagged, dropped it, and backed away against the doorframe. He looked for anything he might be able use as a weapon, then saw the knife embedded in the cutting board next to him. He lunged at it, grabbing the handle tight and held it up defensively.

Ashitare growled low in his throat and slowly stalked forward, keeping his eyes trained on Kouji's; watching for his next move.

His hand trembling, Kouji yelled at the creature to stay back. He had to get Miaka out of here! He turned slightly, checking to see if she might have woken and followed them downstairs.

Ashitare leapt at Kouji as he turned to look at the doorway, pouncing on him and biting down on Kouji's shoulder, digging his teeth deep into the sinew and growling.

The sudden force hitting his chest and the dizzying pain as something sharp seared into his shoulder caused Kouji to drop the weapon. He struggled to grasp at the bundle that was on top of him, let out a yell, and kneed the thing in the gut.

Ashitare tightened his jaws down on Kouji's shoulder with a warning growl. The blow to his gut forced his jaws to release, however, and he rolled away, clutching his stomach. He glared at Kouji, growling deep in his chest

Gripping his shoulder as he stumbled up, Kouji glared at the creature with a look of fierce determination. He lunged for the doorway, towards freedom. He had to get out of that place! He didn't want to die like all the people in there, dead and forgotten. The pain of his newly inflicted wound didn't let him get far. He stumbled out the doorway and dropped to his knees, letting the warm rays of the sun try to calm his head.

Chichiri peered in through the window of the local bar where Kouji had been taken. A wince accompanied the kidnapper's second attempt to feed him human flesh. That was apparently the last straw for Kouji, as in the next few moments, he'd had a skirmish and barely made it to the door.

_Why'd you have to go and do that, no da?_

Chichiri grimaced before bringing his fingers up in front of his face. He closed his eyes and cleared a space in his mind. He pictured the Seiryuu seishi bound in place with hundreds of chains. A quick signal with his hands later, and he'd cast his spell. He opened his eyes to make sure it had worked.

His gaze fell on the injured man in the doorway, bleeding and demoralized.

_Come on, run, no da!_ he mentally urged.

Kouji forced his body to stand up. Without checking on the situation of the creature, he headed back into the inn. He had to get Miaka, even if it cost him his life. She had to escape. But the loss of blood was making him dizzy and each step was a struggle.

Chichiri knew Kouji would bolt back toward Miaka. Though he was loathe to let his presence be known, he couldn't let him go back and take Miaka away just yet. If he did, the wolf would just come after them again once he was released from the spell and, more importantly, they'd never have a chance to find out who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

He crouched, ready to teleport at will, and watched the bandit stumble. Seconds later, he was standing behind the other man, and he reached out to grab him. He used one hand to cover his mouth, and the other was locked around his midsection.

"Shh, I'm here to help you, no da," he whispered in his ear.

He glanced from side to side, then dragged the other man, who seemed to be getting progressively weaker, backward to hide behind a bush. He reached up a hand to silence the rings on his staff.

"He can pick up your scent, no da. We need to get you away from here until he forgets about you, no da," he said.

Chichiri presented Kouji with his straw hat. He flipped it over so that the other man could see both sides. He then placed it onto the floor.

"Step into the hat, no da," he instructed, "I'll take care of Suzaku no Miko, na no da."

Kouji's shoulder felt like it was on fire and he knew he was getting weaker by the moment. He stared at the straw hat that the monk (he was certainly dressed like it!) placed on the ground suspiciously.

"What th' hell?" he whispered, looking back at his kidnapper, "But Miaka..."

Something seemed to make him trust this monk. Was it the fox-like face? The cheerful grin? He looked at the hat with apprehension, not ready to leave Miaka alone with the beast and this stranger.

Chichiri really didn't have time to be waiting for Kouji to decide whether to jump in or not. With a quick glance from side to side, he took his staff from its place on his back and delivered a quick thwack to the back of his head, sending him flying into the hat. He'd be in the Emperor's throne room in a matter of minutes. Then it'd just be up to Hotohori to take care of his wounds.

"Phew," he said to himself.

He picked up his hat and slung it around his neck. With that taken care of, he quickly disappeared and then reappeared on the far side of the river, hiding just beyond the edge of the forest.

He couldn't keep an eye on Miaka this way, but if he could just trust that she'd be safe until he could return to watch over her, then things should work out for the best.

Ashitare howled in rage as he fought against unseen bonds; his prey had escaped.

He struggled and twisted, straining against the invisible chains holding him in place. He was slowly tiring, but angry that the male had tricked him and used magics that felt the same as his master's.

His howls reduced to deep growls and he fell slack in the bonds; he knew that there was no escape once caught in a trap like this and to fight much more would use up needed energy. A shift in the air around him caused his muscles to tense with expectation only to find that he'd been released from the bonds.

A savage sneer curled his lips.

He got to his feet and scented the air. Fresh blood overlaid the older smells of rotting flesh and dried blood. Kouji would be easy to track.

He howled and bounded after the fleeing bandit, noting absently that he'd gone the wrong way if he had intended to rescue the girl.

He scented around for several minutes, finding a sort of end to the trail but not finding a body to go long with that scent. He circled the area several times, pawing at the ground that seemed to have swallowed Kouji whole.

He growled and stalked back towards the inn and the girl still sleeping in the room upstairs.

He paused, his nose in the air once more.

_Is that another male scent? Mmm, smells strange, maybe it's an old scent. I'm not taking any chances, though. I'll be keeping a watch put for that same scent again..._

He ducked his head and continued on to the inn, his ears pricked for any sounds out of the ordinary.

Miaka opened her eyes at last, finding the room empty. She sat up and looked around the room once more. "Hello?" she called out into the silent room, not getting any response.

"Kouji? Creature guy?"

Miaka was all alone and she didn't like it. _Where could they have gone? Why would that beast man leave me alone? Kouji probably ran away and the beast would have had to chase after hi… Could that thing have eaten him?!?_

She slid her legs off the side of the bed and chewed nervously on her lower lip before standing up and reaching for the door knob.

_Kouji told me not to run. Maybe he wanted me to figure out that this was my chance to get away!_

Ashitare made his way back to the room he had left his prey in, growling softly in anger and confusion because he couldn't figure out where Kouji had gone. Was he truly a magician? Why wait until that moment to use it if he was? Something wasn't adding up and so he took extra care to stay on his guard.

He stood before the door to the girl's room; Kouji's blood still smeared around his mouth, the blood from both the girl he had torn up as well as some of Kouji's still staining his tunic and hands.

The knob turned under his clawed hand and the door swung open to reveal his prey.

He growled in greeting, baring blood spattered teeth in his version of a smile.

The small girl's attention was quickly drawn to the door, opened by a growling beast, now covered in blood. She looked him over and her mind instantly thought the worst. She shook her head and set her hand over her mouth, sliding back on the bed and into the corner where she held her arm out to the side, against the wall. "No, no, no, where's Kouji? You didn't.... c-couldn't have..." She frantically shook her head, afraid for her life.

She felt like an animal, cornered and threatened. Her first reaction was to leap out of bed and grab the nearest weapon she could find. A brass incense burner. She held the elongated metal mold out in front of her and at the beast. "Stay back!" she shouted as she stepped slowly towards the window sill.

Ashitare growled; what was it with his luck with captives lately? He moved into a defensive stance, ready to deflect her blows while he subdued her. His master may get upset with him for damaging her slightly but it would be better than listening to her scream and having her bash him with an incense burner!

His jaws snapped loudly and he feigned a lunge at her before diving to her left, hoping to distract her or frighten her long enough to get behind her and knock her out.

Miaka swung her weapon at the beast as he snarled at her and lunged to her left. She hit the wall with the metal and a loud metallic 'DING' rang through the room. She jumped, slamming her back into the wall behind her.

He growled again, moving towards her, backing her against the bed where he would be in a better position to disarm her. His jaws snapping shut with a deafening 'clack', he leapt forward, his most frightening look plastered on his face.

"HWAAHHHHH!" she hollered, her hands trembling as she held the brass burner out in front of her. She took slow steps away from the beast, toward the bed. Before she realized how close she was, her heel connected with the frame and she tumbled back onto the bed, losing her grasp on the incense burner with one of her hands.

He leapt at her as soon as she fell back, straddling her and holding her arms down. He gave her a small whine as a sorry and brought his fist down, clocking her in the side of the head with just enough force to knock her out.

He looked her over, making sure she was truly unconscious before he climbed off of her and settled next to her for a moment. He nudged her with one hand and when she didn't move, he nodded, lifted her over his back, and left the room.

The sound of distress reached Chichiri's ears. He cursed silently to himself, and within seconds he had reappeared on the other side of the river in time to see the hairy beast's backside as he walked away with Suzaku no Miko draped over his shoulder. He ducked behind a wall and peered around it.

She didn't seem to be bleeding or to have any noticeable bite or claw marks. Chichiri gave a tiny sigh of relief. Unfortunately, coming here could blow his cover, so from then on, he was forced to stay an even greater distance behind as he followed the Seiryuu seishi on his journey.

Ashitare hitched the unconscious girl higher onto his shoulder as he strode out of the inn. The entire town was decimated, so he didn't need to worry about hiding.

Once he was out in the open, he stretched and popped his neck, adjusting the girl again before he let out a howl and ran towards the edge of town. He was making good time so far, he supposed. His master hadn't given him a time limit but completing a mission that required him to go all the way to Eiyou and back with a living victim in less than a fortnight would be something that his master would praise him for.

The trees and road seemed to blur under his feet, his muscles working hard to carry the extra burden and move as quickly as he was. Just another day or two and he would be back in his master's presence, receiving a pat and a soft word for a job well done.

He could taste his treat now...

The small schoolgirl's eyes slid slowly open and she looked around. Her head was hanging over the beasts back, so he wouldn't know that she was conscious unless she tensed her muscles.

_I've got to get away. I've got to get back to my brother and we have to find Yui._

Ashitare moved along the road as fast as he possibly could, the girl still flung over his shoulder.

She knew her brother would be worried about her. She knew she wouldn't be able to beat the wolf man in a battle of strength, but she just might be able to out run the hairy thing. Without a moment to spare, Miaka quickly rolled all her weight to her side so she would fall off the beast's shoulder and onto the ground. Her body hit the mud with a _thwack!_ and she looked up at Ashitare for a split second before trying to get to her feet.

He growled and swung around, grabbing at her falling form thinking that she'd shifted while he'd been running only to find her scrambling to get to her feet. He lunged at her, crouching over her and pinning her to the ground under his much heavier body. A deep growl of warning rumbled from his chest.

She looked up at the beast with wide eyes. She reached out to her right, desperately searching for something… when her fingers found a medium sized rock. She grabbed onto it and swung the stone at the side of its head.

Disbelief froze him long enough for her swing to connect. Pain lanced through his head and he howled, gripping the side of his face with one clawed hand and digging his claws into her shoulder with the other. His howl turned into a roar of rage as his senses sharpened and fury overshadowed the hurt and surprise that had filled him when she had struck.

A loud cry pulled from her lips as his claws buried into her shoulder. She wanted to get out of his grasp, but at the same time didn't want to move for fear of worsening the wound. Miaka swung her leg up between his legs and prayed to God it would have a better outcome than the last action she took.

A yelp tore from his mouth as his claws drew blood in her shoulders and his knees collapsed under him, causing him to lay flat against her and pushing her deeper into the mud. His jaws snapped near her throat, canines flashing in the dying sunlight with malicious intent. He held back his natural instinct to tear her throat out in reprimand for injuring him so thoroughly, but only barely. His front teeth nicked her neck as his teeth snapped shut. He growled his displeasure, deepening the grip his claws had in her tender skin.

His body collapsed on top of her and she knew there was no getting away now. Miaka cried out in agonizing pain as his claws ripped through her clothing and penetrated her flesh, only digging into her more by the second.

She couldn't take it anymore. Her chest rose and fell quickly with her unsteady breathing, pushing at his chest in an effort to free herself.

In a fit of pique, Ashitare brought up one clawed fist. She had been much easier to carry while she'd been passed out and he was in too much pain to think of what his master might think if he brought her to him injured. A sickening grin slashed his fanged mouth wide, baring his teeth as his fist connected. He wanted her to remember that hellish look so that if she woke before they reached Kutou she would not try to hurt him again.

As soon as he'd heard his target's howls mixed together with his miko's shrieks, Chichiri leapt into action. Unfortunately, as he was hanging back in order to not be detected, he hadn't made it to her in time to protect her from the thrashing the beast had obviously visited upon her.

This had gone much too far.

The Seiryuu beast flung Suzaku no Miko back over his shoulder. The gashes and scrapes all over her body seemed to glare at him and deposit the guilt for their infliction in his hands. He frowned beneath his mask and gripped his prayer beads.

A second later, and he was standing behind the monster. He muttered a quiet incantation under his breath and thrust the glowing beads forward. An electric blast of chi fired straight for the predator's legs, knocking him down in a flash. The girl jettisoned off his shoulder into Chichiri's waiting arms.

Chichiri held her close to this chest, resting her head underneath his chin. He looked down at her with a soft, distant sadness.

"Sorry it took me so long, no da," he apologized to the unconscious one.

The beast movement's drew his attention and a deep scowl beneath his ever-smiling fake-face.

"Who were you taking her to, no da?" he questioned.

Ashitare raised his mighty arms above his head and let an eruptive roar out into the heavens. He lunged for the miko and his claws struck a red chi barrier that became visible at his touch.

Chichiri, having expected as much, threw his kesa up over himself and his miko. It swirled around as the circles upon the dark blue fabric turned, and then it vanished into a single point of light, along with the seishi and the miko.

Ashitare howled in rage and disbelief, lifting his nose to the air to find a scent that would allow him to follow them. Finding only the slightest traces of the girl's scent, he growled and limped back towards town.

He would find them and then he'd rip them both apart.

Imperial Palace, Konan

Kouji collapsed to the elegant stonework the moment he arrived. The stranger with the magical hat had transported him back to the Konan palace. The coolness of the tile felt good against his burning skin, calming his senses.

Somewhere nearby a servant gasped. A man who was obviously a bandit lying in the middle of the floor, semi-conscious, with an open and freely bleeding wound in his back was enough to shock anyone. There was a thunder of feet, shaking his resting place. An alarm was raised, but Kouji couldn't hear it.

Though it left a cowardly aftertaste, being out of the reach of that crazy wolf man allowed him to be weak for a moment. He had no one to protect but himself now, but he'd failed Miaka. He heard a voice call to him but it sounded like he was underwater. He struggled to open an eye and see who was calling him, but the faces were blurred. Several of the Palace guardsmen surrounded him, checking him for signs of life. His eyes fluttered and he slipped into a complete state of unconsciousness.

"Someone alert his Highness!" shouted one of the guards, "The Bandit has returned!"

***

Ou stirred a little. The shouting brought him back from the blackness... and the dreams.

"Suzaku, where am I?" Ou sat up in a different bed than the one he had laid down in that night. For one thing, the blankets felt much heavier... and the work looked richer.

Ou snapped awake, realizing that he was probably laying in a bed meant for someone of much higher rank than he could ever aspire to. He would have popped out of bed right then and there, but a wave of dizziness set him back on his back, thumping the pillow heavily. The courtesan that was looking after him took something cool and put it over his eyes and on his head. The dizziness subsided for a bit.

"Where am I?" Ou asked again.

"The Emperor's apartments. He insisted that you take your rest on one of our beds. Then, he went to go elsewhere. Not too soon after, this alarm sounded."

Ou would have had more questions, but another dizzy wave sent him back to his dreams.

_A ruined palace. The shrine, defiled. There's nobody here. What happened to the Celestial Warriors?_

"They failed."

Seiryuu and Suzaku raged overhead, lightning punctuating their battle. Ou strained to see who had the upper hand, but a flash of lightning blinded them.

"They will fail. You will, too."

Ou struggled to make sense of it as his eyes followed the battle of the gods. They seemed to be waiting for something, or for someone. Below them, armies struggled...

***

As the alarm rang out, His Highness hurried to find out what was happening. Something important...

He headed to the palace courtyard where several of his guards had collected. "What's going on...?" The question hung in the air as he realized his answer was lying on the ground.

"Kouji? Where's Miaka?"

***

There had been no response at Kaen's door, and Keisuke didn't have the time to look for her. Next on the agenda was the Emperor, and the only place Keisuke had regularly seen him was his throne room.

As he was making his way there, however, he heard the commotion surrounding the 'return of the bandit' who just 'appeared in the courtyard'. Keisuke's eyes narrowed, and without a word, he took off for the courtyard.

There was quite a gathering outside, including a good number of guards and even the Emperor himself, but his target was somewhere in the middle of this mess, and he wasn't about to let anyone get in his way.

He shoved a guard aside, prepared to throttle the bandit until he spilled the info on where his sister was, but he stopped mid-step when he noticed the tear in his shoulder. Blood stained his face, his hair was matted, and the guards were just standing by staring open-mouthed.

Keisuke made his way forward and knelt next to him. Much as he didn't like the guy, that was no reason to let him suffer. Besides, if he died, he'd never find out where Miaka was. He felt for a pulse and found a fairly steady beat.

He looked up at the Emperor, who had been given a pathway through the wall of guards.

"Emperor-sama, he's alive, but we should get him some medical attention. Then we can ask him about Miaka."

Mitsukake had been searching that palace for a drink (the Emperor had told his staff to hid all the liquor in an effort to get the celestial warrior clean) when he found the courtyard. A soldier grabbed him by the arm, recognizing him, and dragging him to Kouji's side.

Mitsukake rolled his eyes, trying to keep his annoyance to himself. If the fool hadn't gone tearing off after Miaka then he wouldn't have gotten hurt. The boy didn't have any of the powers of a celestial warrior. Just what was he thinking?

"I can't completely heal him. My powers are still a bit weak. But I can at least get him past being critical and then bandage him up like a regular doctor."

He placed his hands over Kouji's back and focused. The wound closed up most of the way before he released his hold on the bandit's chi and fell back on his ass. Sweat trickled down his brown from underneath his headband.

"That took more out of me than I thought. Surely that deserves a drink, your Highness?"

Hotohori only cocked an eyebrow in response.

Kouji's mind drifted in a sea of unconscious thoughts and desires. He couldn't believe everything that had happened within the last few days had been so... chaotic and inerasable from his world.

A part of him wanted his old life back. Just to be a bandit, back at the mountain. He wanted to be with his best friend, Genrou, and enjoy the simplicities of girls and sake. But that part of him was gone forever. After all, the Priestess of Suzaku had appeared and he, being a fool, fell in love with her.

But what had come from all of this? Was he really happy? If he could, would he erase the recent happenings or pretend none of this had happened?

**No.** No honorable man would do that. Genrou, Nuriko, Mitsukake, Miaka, hell, everyone had suffered from their recent ordeals and Kouji couldn't stand by and have them suffer on his account. And most of all, he wouldn't want to miss any of the crazy adventures they had been on. Even Genrou…

Genrou.

His best friend was out there somewhere, probably with Nuriko too. What if something happened to him? Worse, what if he abandoned their friendship?

_No, that's damn selfish t' be worryin' about Genrou abandoning me-_

But Genrou was a Seishi, ne? Would Kouji fight Genrou if it came down to him leaving the mountain for good? What if-

A warm feeling pulled Kouji from his subconscious. The pain in his shoulder was residing and he could feel himself being separated from his darkest feelings, torn from the pain in his own heart as he heard voices calling to him from the real world.

Slowly his eyes opened and he felt the warmth of Mitsukake's powers healing his wounds wane. Kouji realized with dismay that he was far from Miaka and as his eyes slowly adjusted, her brother and the Emperor were the first faces he could make out.

Kouji sucked in a deep breath as he pushed himself up onto his knees, falling back sluggishly. Looking down at his hands, memories of the wolf monster tossing him pieces of decaying human flesh casually resonated with his blood soaked palms.

"Mi-chan!" His voice was hoarse and it hurt him even to whisper. He had failed her, leaving her with the monster and... what was that guy? A monk!? Kouji weakly tried to get up, but failed, unable to maintain his balance.

"You should take it easy or you're going to reopen those wounds I just healed. Don't let all my hard work go to waste," Mitsukake scoffed as he caught his breath.

A man covered in the stench of booze had leapt to Kouji's side. He announced that he was a doctor. Keisuke's had an unamused frown on his face. Yeah, right, this drunk was a doctor and he was the Queen of England.

But within the next few moments, he had changed his tune completely. He stared awestruck at the bandit's no-longer-existent wounds. They had just... disappeared.

He was shoved aside as Kouji awakened and the crowd drew in closer. Keisuke watched from his place on the ground as he tried to get to his feet but failed.

Keisuke took matters into his own hands. He helped Kouji up to his feet, tucking an arm under the armpit of the bandit to ensure he stayed upright. He had wanted to be mad at the idiot bandit but in seeing the confusion, pain, and disappointment on Kouji's face, his expression softened.

"We need you to get better so we can find out where Miaka is."

Hotohori nodded his agreement. "Guards, I want all of you to go back to your assigned posts! We'll take care of the bandit from here." His voice remained steady and commanding even though he was terribly worried about Miaka. The guards shuffled off, disappointed that the show was over.

As the crowd separated Hotohori propped Kouji up from the other side. "Let's all go in to my chambers and you can tell us what has happened. We need to talk and you need a glass of water I'm sure..."

_And a bath..._ he thought as they started towards his chambers.

"I've failed Miaka and Genrou both…" Kouji could only mumble and fight to keep himself on his feet. He was physically and mentally exhausted. _Maybe ordinary people aren't supposed to be involved in this Seishi stuff fer a reason._

Kaen had been meditating in a quiet garden, still trying to recover her strength after both injury and illness. She heard the servants talking, however, about the foreigner - _her_ foreigner - running about the palace like a wounded bear, looking for who knew what. And apparently he'd been looking for her.

She sighed with exasperation and left the tranquil space, heading for the foreigner's last known location…

Only to come upon a scene of utter confusion. For a moment, she was amused by the males, but then she spotted the useless bandit and became annoyed by his obvious failure to retrieve the Priestess.

As her annoyance grew, the ambient air temperature began to drop, and a cold breeze sprang up.

Keisuke's brows knitted in confusion as Kouji babbled on about 'Genrou'. What on earth? Had he really contracted amnesia or was this some stupid game to get out of telling them where Miaka was?

He rubbed his arms to warm up and noticed Kaen had joined their little circle. He nodded in her direction before turning back to the matter at hand.

Saihitei-sama had been a very forgiving man toward everyone so far, but Keisuke knew that if this place was indeed anything like the Ancient China he'd studied, the other maintainers of the palace may not be so kind should Kouji's disrespect continue.

The cold air breezed past Hotohori, blowing his hair slightly. Odd. It felt like the wind off a mountain. He saw the woman, Kaen, approaching. Perhaps she'd shake some sense into the bandit.

Once they had arrived in his private office, Hotohori and Keisuke carefully set Kouji down in a cushioned chair, trying not to disturb the freshly closed wounds in his back. The Emperor stretched and then sat in his own chair. He couldn't hold back the most important question.

"Where is Miaka?"

Kouji bit his lip. He wasn't sure where he'd left her and he didn't want to admit to abandoning her to a completely stranger. There was only one person who could help Miaka now. No matter what, he had to find Genrou and fast. Genrou would know how to find Miaka... but where the hell was th' red head? Kouji hung his head without a response.

Kaen would have been amused by the way the man was acting, if it weren't for the fact that, to her ears, it sounded as if he'd abducted her foreigner's sister... and then lost the girl.

Her voice was quite chilly, and the breeze that had arrived with her gained a bit more strength and frosty bite. "You need time to think when you have already wasted precious minutes with your actions and further endangered the life of the girl you so incompetently protected?" She didn't bother hiding the sneer in her voice. "Think quickly and speak now, or taste vengeance at my hand for the innocent blood you have jeopardized."

The feminine yet harsh voice of a woman brought him out of his thoughts, turning to face the voice's owner.

"I don't know where Miaka is. I was with her but then I woke up on the floor. Look, jus' let me try to get 'er back again. If I c'n find Genrou then we'll be able to find 'er for sure!"

Mitsukake blinked. "You left the Priestess alone? With the thing that stole her?"

Unable to stand the sea of disappointed faces, Kouji looked down at the floor again, silently.

With a heavy sigh, Hotohori gestured to the guards at the door. They entered the room and hauled Kouji up by the arms. Before he could protest, Hotohori explained. "I'm sorry Kouji, I really am. But abandoning the Priestess when she is in need has long been a crime in Konan. I have to jail you until we can decide what to do next. Please accept my apologies and take the opportunity to finish healing your wounds."

Kouji nodded and went with the guards willingly. He knew he had failed them. He should have never let that damned monk with the smiling face send him here! _That guy better be taking good care of Miaka! Or else…_

Hotohori watched with deep sadness as the bandit was lead from the room. The breeze was warm now and birds were chirping happily outside. Did Miaka hear the same thing somewhere? He closed his eyes, trying to decide what to do next. There was only one course of action.

"Kaen, we must leave immediately. Some of my guards were able to track the direction the monster went... towards Kutou. We must rescue Miaka. It's obvious the bandit cannot or will not tell us anything useful. In case he does though, we'll leave him in Mitsukake's care. They can come after us later."

He ordered a few servants to collect their things and bring them to the courtyard at once. "We should travel quickly to rescue the girl. Prepare yourself, for this journey may be long."

"If I see that pathetic bandit again, I will cut his throat," Kaen growled. "I will be ready to leave once I have fetched my sword and armor." Somehow, they had survived the fire. They'd had to be repaired, but it was better than having to get new armor.

She turned and left, walking quickly, her shoulders set in an angry line. The sky overhead clouded completely. She was ready in only a few short minutes, her armor now on and her sword at her side.

Mitsukake merely nodded and headed for the cells. He'd have to sit by Kouji's side for hours but it meant that he was out of the line of fire this time. He didn't quite get the impression that he was going to open up any time soon though.

Keisuke stared at the spot where Kouji had been, the wind ruffling his hair as it passed. What in the world was going on? All he could understand was that Miaka was gone, and they now had no way of knowing where she was...

The Emperor spoke and shocked him out of his daze. He nodded along with what he had to say.

"I'll get Tetsuya," he offered.

He walked away to find his best friend. Subdued, he opened up the door to the room he had been staying in and quietly packed a change of clothes - his clothes - the only outfit that truly belonged to him. When he was finished, he noticed the impressive red phoenix god of this country, spreading gold from its wingtips across a magnificent tapestry.

"Suzaku, if you really exist... please keep my sister safe," he asked aloud.

"So," Tetsuya said conversationally as he sauntered into the room he shared with Keisuke, "what news?"

If one didn't know him well, they'd think he was just passing through and wasn't too concerned with what was going on. Upon closer inspection, however, one could see that his expression was somber, his light tone not withstanding, and his demeanor was anything but unaffected. He'd missed most of the excitement in the throne room, but he had ears, and gossip functioned the same anywhere with anyone, whether it was back home with college and high school kids or here in an alien land with serving staff and guards. Considering they were only rumors and hearsay, Tetsuya hadn't put much weight in them, but he hadn't dismissed them outright either.

He took one look at Keisuke and immediately went over to his side of the room to start packing. He didn't even ask or wait for Keisuke to fill him in on the details; he just looked and then started preparing for travel. It didn't mean, however, that he didn't want an answer to his original question.

***

Once the others had left to ready themselves, Hotohori dressed down in more peasant-like attire (though the fabrics were still of a higher thread count than anything a real peasant would wear). Their journey would be a lot more difficult with his devoted people and beautiful women throwing themselves at his feet.

After fixing his appearance he headed for the courtyard. Kaen arrived shortly thereafter. They waited on the two foreigners now.

"Kaen... I know I needn't ask you to do this but please keep an eye on their safety. There's some bond between the lot of you. We will equip them with weapons when they arrive but I hope you can assist me in keeping them from harm during the trip."

Ou almost missed the Emperor in his search _for _the Emperor.

Almost. The hair gave him away. Ou skidded to a halt, and respectfully presented himself to the Emperor and made sure to keep some distance between him and the scary Kaen.

"Your Majesty, the bandit is resting and recovering in a prison cell. The "doctor" that was taking care of him is at his side. I encountered them in my search for you and was asked to deliver this message regarding your 'preparations.'"

At that particular point, Ou finally caught on to what was going on. As an almost lame excuse, he added, "You might want to put your hair up, your Majesty."

The child was very bright, indeed. "Thank you. This is going to be a dangerous journey, Ou. I must take care to hide myself. Please, watch over the Doctor and Kouji. Try to keep them away from the alcohol."

***

Keisuke signed forlornly as he slung his bag over his shoulder. Once Tetsuya was finished packing, they walked out toward the courtyard.

"Kouji came back. You know, the bandit that was with Miaka? But she wasn't with him. He kept babbling about some guy named 'Genrou,'" he sighed, "So Saihitei-sama and Kaen-san are going to go with us to search for her."

He spent the rest of the walk in silence. His eyes traveled across the well-kept tiny white flowers in the courtyard and up around Kaen's finely crafted breast... plate. In his stupor, he'd nearly smacked right into her.

"We're back!" he exclaimed, jumping back and away with a nervous laugh. "Are we ready to go, Saihitei-sama?" he asked quickly.

The boys had returned, full of nervous excitement. "Yes, Keisuke. It's time for us to go..."

Kaen had to suppress a laugh when the Emperor asked her to keep an eye on the foreigners. "I will watch over the safety of all," she said. "It's my duty to protect the weak." And men were the weaker of the two sexes. Everyone knew that.

The foreigners returned soon afterward. She did nothing more than give Keisuke a slightly disgusted look and then a healthy, if casual, punch in the arm. He was lucky she liked him so much, or she would have done worse.

"Stay near me," she told the foreigners. "If we're attacked, I will cover your retreat." The Emperor had spoken of giving them weapons, and indeed, they were handed swords. "Don't try to draw the sword unless you know how, or you'll injure only yourself." She smiled slightly.

The troop began their trek out of the palace and she followed the Emperor, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

"Ow."

Keisuke rubbed his arm where Kaen had punched him. But before he could reflect on it any longer, a sword was shoved into his hands and he was told to stick close.

"Swords?" Tetsuya stared at the weapon (thankfully in its scabbard) in his hands, then at the identical one in Keisuke's. "He gave us swords? Is he _out of his mind?!_"

His volume dipped so sharply on the last phrase that it came out as a low hiss, hopefully out of earshot of the Emperor. Tetsuya couldn't blame the man--he meant well, after all--but to arm Tetsuya and Keisuke in any way was not a very good idea. If things came to a point that the boys would have to draw steel, it meant they were well and truly doomed. Tetsuya half-suspected they'd fare better with bare--or, better yet, brass--knuckles in a fight than with swords.

On the other hand, if he kept the thing sheathed at all times, maybe he could use it as a bludgeon. A crude and utterly ridiculous-looking bludgeon, but even being whacked by the scabbard could hurt. He tucked the thing into his sash and made a minor adjustment to his pack.

As the party trooped out of palace, Tetsuya added the latest news he'd gained to what he'd learned in the past few days. Still too many things didn't add up. "Saihitei-sama, Keisuke, have you learned anything new about the guardians of the Priestess? The... Seishi, I believe they're called?"

Keisuke was examining the tempered blade when Tetsuya spoke. He was much too enamored with the shiny new toy he'd been given to pay attention to his best friend's misgivings. Sure, he had no earthly clue how to use a sword, but that was unimportant, right? He attached the blade within its dark red scabbard to his belt and smiled down at it.

"The Seishi, yes. There's much to know about them. I've been informed that a few are already nearby. We can only hope that Miaka is protected by one of them now." Hotohori smiled. He continued the march out of the city and down the road beyond with the others, explaining the legend in detail to pass the time.

"Miaka shouldn't have to work too hard to find her protectors. If the legends are correct, they'll be drawn to her. I'm just hoping that the feeling I'm following now leads us to her. We haven't much else to go on and I hope to avoid any actual contact with the country of Kutou."

Keisuke caught up to the others and followed alongside Tetsuya, listening to the Emperor's explanation of the Seishi. He glanced back at the palace as it faded into the bustle of the capital city. Was it really all right for the Emperor to be leaving on a journey like this? He figured it wasn't his place to question it.

"So we're just going to follow a hunch?" Keisuke asked dubiously.

"A hunch, perhaps. Every celestial warrior feels this pull to his priestess."

They had almost made their way out of the city limits when a guard opening the gates to the city informed him that he'd received most unfortunate news: Kouji had escaped.

"I see. Thank you." The Emperor dismissed the guard and continued walking out of the city as though it didn't bother him in the slightest. He had little doubt that Mitsukake had released the bandit in return for the promise of alcohol. He'd banked on it when he'd asked Mits to stay behind in the first place.

"If Kouji is smart, chances are he's running away so he isn't punished. He'll most likely return to the bandit camp in the mountains. If we encounter him, I give you free reign to interrogate him again Kaen. For now, we must continue to trek after Miaka-chan."

Kaen actually smiled. "Thank you," she said. She was certain she could get the bandit to sing like a bird. He certainly deserved it.

She gave Keisuke another rather disgusted look. "The touch of a god is not a mere hunch." She looked back at Hotohori. "I will pray to my goddess; perhaps she will see fit to help guide us as well. She watches over all women." And it was her own duty to see that this Miaka was protected, even though she wasn't a Seishi. She was an Amazon, and that, to her mind, was far more important.

"Considering how often and how _oddly_ that bandit's path has crossed Miaka's, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being one of the Seishi," Tetsuya remarked to himself. He shrugged, almost rueful. "If so, the gods must have a sense of humor.

"And while we're on the subject of Miaka," he continued, shifting into a somber mood as his voice rose to a more audible level, "I'd like to ask if you have heard any reports of possibly a second foreign girl, Saihitei-sama. Her name is, er..."

He trailed off as he realized that it had just slipped his mind. What was it? Mai? Rei?

"Uh, Yui, I believe it was?" he ended lamely as he threw a questioning glance at Keisuke.

Keisuke grimaced at Kaen's thorough smack down of his question. She grabbed his innocent question, slapped it across the face a few times, and then tossed it out into the streets to be trampled by raging wild boars.

The touch of a god, that's right. This guy was the Emperor, a god in the eyes of his people. Still, Keisuke wasn't convinced that was going to lead them toward Miaka any more than praying to Buddha.

"Yui-chan, yeah," he nodded, "Hongo Yui. She and Miaka have been inseparable since they were in kindergarten. She'll have on a school uniform, a brown skirt," Keisuke spread his hands in front of his thighs as if to summon an invisible shirt, "And a brown blazer. She has short blonde hair," he explained to Hotohori.


	18. Chapter 17

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Heading towards Reikaku

"Stupid nag! Why can't ya run faster?!" Tasuki growled, berating the horse in an effort to keep the tears back. Ji's hurtful words echoed in his head, repeating louder and louder as each second passed.

He needed to go faster, get farther away, and maybe then he could get away from the ache that had settled in the raw and bleeding hole his heart used to occupy before Ji-hime had ripped it out with her grief driven words.

He didn't bother to duck the brambles and low hanging twigs that tore at his face, hair and jacket; he was more worried about getting what he'd set out to do done so he could find a place to hide away. He didn't know if someone could die of shame and self loathing but he was going to make a damn good effort to do just that. A couple hundred bottles of sake wouldn't hurt. Maybe he could drink himself to death.

Frustrated tears slipped over his cheeks as the miles passed; trees and bushes slowed the horse but he kicked and cursed at the horse to get her moving again. He didn't want to be anywhere in the vicinity of his mother's house; he knew as soon as she found out he was gone she'd come after him. No one else would, but Ma always came after him when he was hurt.

_Why th' hell did I leave a fuckin' note? I don't want no one t'follow me, I just wanna drop off th' world and never bother another person as long as I live._

Thanking Suzaku that he had grabbed the faster horse, Nuriko tore across the wooded area, glancing around, yet following the only trail that would most likely lead to Tasuki's goal.

"Tasuki is even more trouble than Bandit-chan, if that's possible," grumbled Nuriko as he ducked a low hanging branch. "Now if I could only sense where he was..."

As he proceeded over a small hill, Nuriko cast his gaze to the shallow valley before him. From the distance, the mountains cast an a ominous presence, looming over the area and casting it in shadow. Nuriko kicked his horse onwards, into the valley.

Tasuki had to be near… Nuriko felt confident he was heading in the right direction when he spotted the fresh hoof prints in the mud. He grinned with hope, pushing forward.

A thundering of hooves signaled his approach. Tearing through the forest growth, a man atop a dappled mare raced to catch up with the frantically escaping warrior of Suzaku. He kept his head low and pushed his mount to go faster.

"Tasukiiiii!" Sou called out.

Tasuki jolted in the saddle and turned to look over his shoulder in surprise. "Sou?" He whispered to himself as he slowed his mount to allow his friend to catch up to him. "Sou! What th' hell are ya doin' here? Ain't ya supposed t'be takin' care a Ji-hime?"

Sou rode up beside Tasuki. Their horses walked alongside one another as they conversed. Both animals slowed to catch their breath. Sou shook his head.

"She's all right now. I'm more worried about you," he brought his mount to a halt to get a better look at the red-head, "I saw you run off. Dangerous things live in these forests. I couldn't leave you out here alone."

Tasuki brought his horse to a halt as well, tears still sluggishly trailing down his cheeks. He was confused but wasn't about to argue; this was something he'd been hoping for, for some time now and had despaired over ever happening. He and Sou were alone in the woods and Sou was worried about him.

"Er..." he blushed and looked away from the intense gaze directed at him. "Uh, thanks fer worryin', but I'm okay...?"

Sou tilted his head, gray eyes searching Tasuki's face carefully.

"You don't look so great," he said, gently, "Here, let's take a break," he suggested as he swung one leg over his horse to dismount.

He patted Tasuki's old nag. "She looks pretty tired too."

Tasuki sighed and nodded, swinging gently down from the horse's back, taking care with the bite wound in his shoulder as he didn't want Sou to try and drag him back.

"So, why'd ya come? I mean, not that I'm complainin'..." he broke off in embarrassment then rushed on. "I-I mean, not that I want ya here, I mean I do, but.... aw shit. Never mind." He'd never been more mortified in his life. When did he turn into a babbling idiot?

Sou led his mare toward a tall oak tree, under which grew a small patch of grass. The horse happily obliged, nibbling gratefully. Sou's back was to Tasuki as he spoke.

"Why wouldn't I come after you?" Sou turned around, eyes shining with worry, "You ran off in such a hurry without a word."

He sat down and rest his back against the tree.

"And you look like you're upset," he motioned for Tasuki to join him, "What's wrong?"

"Because Ji was right." He tugged his horse around between himself and Sou. He fidgeted with the reigns, "I'm sure ya heard what she said."

"No, I didn't, actually. What'd she say?" Sou asked innocently.

He shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat for a long moment before answering. "She said it was my fault 'er papa died, an' she's right, ya know? I didn't move fast enough." He cast a pleading look at Sou, begging silently to leave it at that. Tasuki's fingers worked over the saddle, playing with anything within reach to keep the nervousness and worry out of his expression.

Sou sighed heavily, "About that, I have a few things to say. Why don't you come sit down? It's hard to talk to you over there."

Tasuki bit his lip but ground tethered his horse, letting her pick at sweet bits of grass wherever she wanted. He scooted around the horse and walked over to stand by the tree, looking down at Sou nervously. He feared that this might be about what he'd written in that letter and had no desire to actually voice what lay deep in his heart. "Arright, what do ya wanna yap at me a-about?"

Sou shook his head at his stubbornness. Nonetheless, he went on.

"It wasn't your fault. She'll see that in time. She's just upset. She doesn't know what she's saying," he explained, "That doesn't mean you have to run off like this, and without even bothering to say anything to anyone… Without at least giving me a chance to talk to you."

Sadness tinged his eyes as he looked up at Tasuki.

"I care a lot about you too, you know."

Tasuki froze; what did he just say? His head whipped around to look Sou in the eye, to gauge if he was serious or just playing a very mean prank. "What did you say?" He blinked several times and shook his head. "Nah, I hadda've misunderstood. Repeat that?"

He looked confused as he climbed to his feet. Here, he could talk to him face to face, and he gazed back at him intently.

"I said I care about you. What's wrong with that?"

Tasuki backed up a step, putting some distance between them. He didn't want to read into things as that could really hurt whatever friendship they had. "N-nothin' really, just... didn't hear ya all that well?" He mentally smacked himself; now he was acting like an idiot.

Sou reached out and grabbed Tasuki's shoulder to stabilize him. "Hey, calm down. I won't say it if it bothers you that much."

Tasuki's eyes flew to Sou's and pain lanced down his arm. "Aiya!" He jerked to the side, tripping over his own feet and falling backwards on his ass. The nag seemed to laugh at him, whickering softly and shoving his shoulder with her muzzle. "Aw shit, that hurt!" He shoved at the horses head then looked up at Sou, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry 'bout that."

His eyes shot open in surprise when Tasuki yelped and crashed to the ground. Had he touched a nerve? Or was Tasuki just overreacting? Sou knelt down in front of him.

I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to..." he trailed off, looking closely at Tasuki's shoulder, then back into his eyes, "Are you okay?"

Tasuki flinched back, covering the wounded area with a hand to hide any blood that might have seeped out. "I'm fine," he mumbled, turning his face away.

Sou's face lit up with recognition. "Let me take a look at it," he said.

Gently, he removed Tasuki's hand, and pulled the collar of his jacket back to reveal the freshly released blood soaking through his white undershirt. He sighed and turned to look back at his face. They were a mere breath away from one another.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I came out here to help you, not to..."

Tasuki held his breath; he'd only been this close once and that wasn't under the best circumstances. A blush crept into his cheeks, but he was unable to look away from the mesmerizing eyes locked on to his. "I-its all r-right. Ya didn't hurt m-me..."

"No, I hurt you. I- Let me make it up to you," Sou said softly.

He closed his eyes and leaned in for a kiss.

Tasuki released the breath he'd been holding in a loud burst only to gasp it back in when Sou's mouth touched his. He gripped Sou's shoulders but wasn't sure if he should pull him closer or push him back so he settled on clenching his fists and sitting still.

Before his eyes, Sou began to change. His gleaming gray eyes sunk back into their sockets, leaving nothing but two hollow holes in their place. The soft skin on his handsome face grew calloused and wrinkled and sagged on his bones. His dark hair grew longer and stringier, and began to writhe like a dozen snakes. His boney knuckles gripped Tasuki's wrists tightly.

"Was it good for you?" Yama-uba cackled.

She pressed her withered lips back against his, while the serpents atop her head darted for his scalp

***

Nuriko gritted his teeth as he neared the edge of a hill in the wooded domain. Something in the air felt very unnerving. He slowed his horse to a stop, jumped off, and began to trudge on foot until he saw two people up ahead and a horse tied up by a tree...

Tasuki!

And another person. As Nuriko snuck towards the two figures in the distance, he realized it was Sou. He had gone ahead even after he had said that he was going to stay behind. Smiling at the warm fuzziness of Sou's thoughtful nature, Nuriko decided that he would stay out of the way of the romantic situation building before his eyes. In fact, he decided he would only watch for a little bit to make sure they got their asses back to the house eventually.

He bit his knuckles as he eagerly watched as the two interacted. It was like a romantic opera, finally building into its climax as Sou leaned in and kissed the bandit on the lips. A warm flush crossed Nuriko's cheeks.

He started to turn away, but then Sou's form began to melt away, revealing the most hideous corpse Nuriko had ever seen.

He heard the monster cackle as it gripped Tasuki's wrists, pulling the bandit painfully close to its hair, a nest of snakes, leaning in for another kiss.

It was almost too much to watch as the snakes darted towards Tasuki's head and Nuriko couldn't sit back any longer. Leaping out from his hiding place, Nuriko slammed into the monster. It released its hold on the bandit and a blood curdling scream escaped its lips.

Tasuki could only stare in shock and disgust as Sou- no, what had _looked like Sou!_- changed into some sort of... some sort of demon female with no eyes and leathery skin that looked ready to fall off of the bones that poked through.

His eyes had widened in horror as the snakes that formed the demon chick's hair snapped down, only to find Nuriko leaping into the fray and knocking the demon back.

A stinging in his lower lip brought him out of his paralysis. One of the snakes had bit him! He frowned. Why the hell were snakes always biting him? Did he have a sign on his ass that only snakes could read that begged for them to bite him?

He got to his feet, his mind in a whirl as a dark haze flitted across his vision and a voice told him he was hungry and that Nuriko looked very delicious at that moment. Shaking his head to dispel the strange voice, Tasuki charged forward to help his friend dispatch the disgusting woman that had impersonated his friend and kissed him.

He stopped mid-punch; had Nuriko seen the kiss between the Faux Sou and himself? Would he tell the real Sou what he'd seen? Oh gods! As soon as this demon bitch was dead he'd have to make sure that Nuriko didn't say a _word_ to Sou about this debacle!

He hammered a blow to the demon woman's face, forcing her upwards and back, pushing her towards Nuriko, who could possibly crush the demon's head if given the chance.

"Nuriko! I'll force it to ya an' you kill it, you get me?"

Again, the dark voice in his head murmured words that were enticingly seductive. Nuriko _did_ look good enough to eat... He shook his head again; shit, now he'd have to go back to Ma's and get whatever toxin he'd been envenomed with withdrawn! And he'd have to see Ji-hime and Sou! Goddamnit!

Nuriko nodded as Tasuki forced the demon towards him, gripping its head as he forced the decaying skull to shatter underneath his strength. A hoarse scream erupted from its smothered face and it contorted in pain and anguish before falling silent.

Tasuki winced as the gore and brain matter oozed from between Nuriko's fingers. "I think it's dead, Nuri-chan. You c'n leggo now... an' wash yer damned hands!"

Nuriko dropped the corpse of the now dead demon. Smiling sheepishly, Nuriko lunged out at the bandit and smeared the blood across his chest. "Why wash them when I can decorate you with it?"

Tasuki cringed as the brain matter was smeared across his chest, seeping into his clothes to congeal against his skin. "Aw, that's gross!" A wave of dizziness overtook him and he swayed on his feet, stumbling backwards and falling on his ass. "Nuriko..." The dark voice in his head got stronger, sharpening his focus on Nuriko's face. He could be quite tasty... Tasuki shook his head. "There's somethin'-" His body went rigid and he fell back on the grass, a cry passing his lips as the haze darkened further and a hunger grew in his gut, but no food sounded like it would satisfy his hunger...

"Sorry Tasuki, but I have to get you back to the house." Scooping up the bandit in his arms, Nuriko carried him to the horse, slinging him across the saddle as he pushed himself in front in order control the horse and then kicked the horse into gear.

Tasuki's sight sharpened; the meal he so desperately craved was only inches from his mouth. He groaned and latched his teeth into the skin of Nuriko's thigh before him, getting a mouthful of Nuriko's pants and saving his skin from too deep of a puncture. He growled and bit down harder, needing to taste the crimson manna that his body needed.

"Now isn't the time, you hentai bandit!" he yelled as he flicked a hand at Tasuki's head, forgetting to watch his strength. Almost immediately the teeth released from his leg and Tasuki slumped across the saddle.

"Oops, forgot about my strength for a minute there. He'll forgive me when we get back to his mother's house, I'm sure."

***

"He did WHAT!?" Mama Kou was running around the house picking up bits of clothing and shoving them in a bag before he could finish his explanation. "Sweet Suzaku, what am I ever going to do if he gets hurt out there?"

"But Nuriko went after him, he..." She ran past Sou and grabbed a heavy frying pan from the kitchen. "...he'll be..." He quirked an eyebrow, "What is that for?"

"I'll pound anything that tries to hurt my baby!" she proclaimed, rolling up her sleeves before throwing open the door and stomping out.

Dear gods, was this woman for real? Sou began to see where Tasuki got his personality from. He chased after her, pleading that she stay home and he would go out and look for them. Then, the door came slamming shut again right on his arm. Bright bursts of pain flashed in his eyes and he wobbled back inside.

When they flashes receded Sou stood up and kicked the door. He had had enough of this day. "Mrs... um... Tasuki's MOM!!" He took off into the woods after her, following her shouted battle cries.

It didn't take long before he caught up with her, or rather, he was caught up with. When he had finally stopped her long enough to tell her that a frying pan was not the best choice of weapon, the sounds of hoof beats could be heard in the distance.

It seemed like it took an eternity down the beaten trail before Tasuki's family house appeared before them… and Sou and Ma with it. Nuriko shifted in the saddle a final time before halting by the duo. Ma came rushing over, grabbing an unconscious Tasuki from the saddle with a wail and dragged him into the house.

Turning to Sou, Nuriko shrugged as he climbed from the steed, glancing down at the swollen bite marks on his thigh from a rather feisty Tasuki-chan.

Tasuki's world seemed to have taken on a whole new array of color once he woke from his Nuriko-induced-unconsciousness; the graying strands of his mother's hair seemed to sparkle and shine like the finest imperial silverware, the grass had an emerald hue that drew his attention so thoroughly that he barely registered that his mother was taking him into the house.

He didn't really notice anything until he heard a laugh; a laugh that seemed oddly familiar though it was faint and could not be heard by any but him.

A name drifted to him from the dark haze in his mind...

Miboshi-sama.

His gut clenched and the hunger began anew; clawing at his belly and causing his teeth to ache. Lovely flesh was but inches from his oh so hungry mouth and so he latched his fangs over the warm supple flesh of his mother's arm and bit deeply, suckling the blood that gushed from the wound and completely ignoring the screams of pain she uttered as well as the blows she rained on his head.

Strong hands clenched on his shoulder and jaw, squeezing in an effort to unlock his death grip on his Ma's arm. He growled and bit down harder, drinking in as much blood as he could get, but someone had other plans.

Nuriko gripped Tasuki's jaw, squeezing just enough to force the clenched teeth apart and tear him from his meal.

Tasuki howled in rage, milky green eyes widened in an almost frightening glare as he clawed at Nuriko, trying to grab him and feed from him as well.

When the loud scream issued from behind him, Sou turned around to see Tasuki clamping down on his mother's arm. Blood flowed from behind his lips and he looked positively engulfed in the drinking of it. Despite the wrenching, sour feeling in his stomach, Sou dashed forward and grabbed at Tasuki's shoulders, pulling him back from his meal. There was an unnatural animal strength in his resistance. Tasuki seemed to be fighting for his life in order to keep suckling the wound on his mother's arm.

Sou got elbowed in the face a few times before Nuriko had enough of it and took Tasuki out with a punch to his face. Sou caught his breath and kneeled down next to Tasuki's slumped form. It was odd that one hit took him out. After all, Tasuki had stood up to the monsters in his village with much more stamina. Sou inspected him wearily, as if he was waiting for Tasuki to jump up again and bite him this time.

"What was that?" He shifted his gaze up to Nuriko and then to Tasuki's mother, hoping that maybe they had an answer that wasn't what he was thinking. Then remembering the gushing wound on Ma Kou's arm, Sou asked, "Do you need help with that?"

She didn't seem to be minding it but rather getting annoyed with the task as she wound a bit of her apron around it. "I'll be fine sweetheart, just get him in the house. And tie him up," she added.

"Who knows what's gotten a hold of him, but it can't be biting his mother and then running around scott free." She finished bandaging herself up and helped drag him into the barn where she quickly went about chaining up his wrists and tethering his ankles.

When she had left, Sou stood in front of him and starred down, trying to figure out what exactly they were going to do now. "You crazy idiot. This is why you don't go running to the woods to make up for saving someone's family." He spoke quietly to the unconscious form at his feet.

Nuriko peeked in through the doorway of the barn, watching Sou watch Tasuki as he eased inside. He thought about what he'd seen in the woods and wondered if Sou had any idea just how much and in what way Tasuki liked him. A devious grin spread over his lips as he stepped up behind Sou.

"Its because of you that he's like this, you know," Nuriko said, his arms crossed over his chest.

Sou jumped at the sound of a voice behind him. He didn't even realize how deeply he was concentrating on the unconscious body in front of him.

"Nuriko!" he yelped, "Wha-what do you mean because of me?" He got defensive. Why was everyone throwing blame around?

Nuriko smiled, pointing to the wound on his thigh. "Well, if you'd seen what I'd seen you'd feel you were a bit responsible, too."

He tossed his braid over his shoulder and stepped up to Sou's side. "Picture this; you're going after your idiot friend who thinks that whenever he's around, people die, and when you find him another friend is hovering over top of him, kissing him... a friend that you thought you'd left behind," he paused, nudging Sou's shoulder.

"I must say I was a bit jealous seeing that kiss. Not because of who was kissing him, but because he wasn't fighting them off."

Sou subconsciously licked his lips, a light blush crept across his nose. "I… are you saying I was kissing him? But I was here the whole time!" He fidgeted and looked down at Tasuki.

"Are you sure it was me?" it was something he didn't really want to discuss right now, especially with the sly grin Nuriko was wearing, but it could give them some information about what had happened and how to fix it.

"Oh, I know that now, but that beast used your face and Tasuki's emotions to somehow possess him. That's the only thing I can think that would explain why he bit me and Ma Kou."

Nuriko didn't know what to say. Sou kept his eyes trained on the floor trying not to look at Nuriko.

"If he's somehow been possessed, we have to find a way to get it out of him. You know of any?" he asked, very aware that he was skipping over everything else Nuriko had said.

Nuriko crouched down to poke at Tasuki's mouth and look for wounds beneath the blood that caked them. "Sou, look!"

Nuriko pulled Sou down, pushing him close to Tasuki's face and then gently pulled Tasuki's lower lip down, showing the twin puncture wounds in the soft flesh. The marks were far too narrow to have been caused by the bandits own fangs, so it stood to reason that one of the snakes had bit him.

"One of those snakes on the demon's head must have bitten him! D-do we have to try to suck the poison out?" Nuriko looked to Sou expectantly.

Sou wore an utterly confused face. He saw the snake bites and ran cold with the fear that the reason why the demon was able to posses him was because Tasuki didn't actually exist anymore. It was then that Nuriko's words hit him. Guilt shifted in his mind, and he prayed to Suzaku that Tasuki would make it through again.

"His mother was able to do it last time, go get her!" he commanded, his words laced with urgency and concern.

Nuriko nodded and began to go but then turned back to Sou with a quizzical look. "Would that be considered incest? She had to suck the poison out of his leg before, that's different than sucking on his mouth. I know it's to save his life, but he'd probably be very uncomfortable knowing his mother sucked on his lip. Maybe I should do it? I have a little medical training." A soft smile worked its way onto Nuriko's lips as he crouched back down in front of Tasuki.

He looked at Sou, "Unless you'd rather do it?"

Sou thought about it for a second. He guessed it might be uncomfortable to have his mother do something like that, but would he really care if he was dying? When Nuriko kneeled down beside him and announced he had medical training, Sou practically wrung his pretty little neck. When he asked if he would rather be the one to do it, he didn't hold it back.

"No! I Don't want to do it cause I don't know how to. If you have medical training, then why are you just sitting there?" he said shaking the purple-haired seishi by the shoulders.

Nuriko frowned. "I was just giving you a chance to get close, you baka!" He shoved Sou away and tilted Tasuki's head back, pulling the wounded lip down so he could see it. With a sigh he closed his lips over Tasuki's lower lip.

He sucked and spat several times, but all that he could get was a dark greenish ooze. He redoubled his efforts, sucking harder, hoping to draw blood.

He turned to spit, and when he turned back, milky green eyes glared at him.

Tasuki was awake.

"Get Back!" Sou had seen Tasuki's eyes slit open. He grabbed Nuriko around the waist and jumped backwards landing hard on the ground. A cloud of dust billowed up from their landing spot and was breathed into his lungs.

"Eep!" Nuriko cried out as hands wrapped around his waist and he was flung backwards to land with a hard thump on someone else's body.

He swatted away the dust, coughing, as he turned to look at who had grabbed him. Finding Sou there, he smiled. "Thanks." His smile vanished as furious growls erupted from behind them.

Tasuki's eyes flickered from gold to green several times, his expression changing from impotent anger to confusion. His voice sounded strange to his own ears as he tried to speak, pushing back the black haze in his mind. "Nu... riko? S-Sou? Is that you guys?"

"Tasuki." He was relieved that he had woken up, before he realized that the demon was probably the one who addressed them. "I'll kill you!" He rushed at the chained up Tasuki from his position on the floor, grabbing his neck.

Golden eyes widened in surprise. "S-Sou..." he forced out, grasping and tugging at Sou's hands. "F-first ya kiss me... now ya try an' kill me! LEGGO!"

Nuriko gasped, watching the two with wide eyes.

Sou blinked away the haze of anger that was clouding his mind. Tasuki was speaking to him and the bandit twang that he had grown used to hearing was coming through loud and clear. "Tasuki?" He asked, still holding onto the bandit's throat, but his grip had loosened.

"Yeah, Tasuki, aho! What, you know some other bandit what looks like me? What fuckin' gives man? Do ya try an' kill everyone ya kiss er somethin'?" Tasuki wobbled a bit as though he were dazed, he blinked several times.

Green eyes looked back up into Sou's face, a smirk on his lips. "He's mine, little seishi, all because he couldn't resist a kiss from you. Haha! Maybe if I kiss you I'll see what sends his little heart thumping every time you are near to him. Oh yes, I know all about the dark and desirous dreams he has about you..." Yama-uba stopped, looking deeply into Sou's eyes for a moment.

"And you, you feel something for him as well. How charming. You both will- erk..... damned boy!"

Tasuki's eyes flashed gold again, looking up at Sou. "Somethin's wrong... someone's in here...."

Tasuki writhed in Sou's grasp, inhuman cries intertwined around hoarse growls as Tasuki fought for control of himself.

Sou was a captive audience to the thing that had control of Tasuki as it switched from Tasuki's voice to the slithering one that it used. He couldn't look away as it stared into his eyes, seeing something deep inside of him. Fear gripped his heart, an irrational fear of everything around him, and he squeezed tighter around Tasuki's throat. "I don't CARE about your babbling!" He fought against the fresh images of his sibling's bodies strewn about on the floor. Anger seized him, flaring the symbol on his forehead. Even if it wasn't responsible, he was blaming this monster for everything he had just been through. "Tasuki, fight this!" His grip tightened.

Tasuki struggled to keep a hold on himself, fighting back the demon inside of him. "Run...! Get away, I'unno what it c'n do to ya's... leave!"

Sou glanced up at the chains. They were holding tight… for now. "Tasuki, we'll find a way to help you." He hoped that he was speaking to the right one, keeping a close watch on the color of Tasuki's eyes. "Just stay alive till then."

He let go of Tasuki's neck and turned to Nuriko. "If those chains start giving, do what you can to make him immobile again."

Sou tried to give Tasuki a grin. "If you die from this, I'll kill you." He gulped down the rising guilt in his chest and exited the barn.

Yama-uba grinned, fangs bared at Sou's back. "Oh, I plan to live for quite awhile now that I have this delicious young body to play with," it whispered, green eyes glowing in the dim light of the barn.

Yama-uba pushed aside Tasuki's consciousness, fully possessing his body for the time being. It smiled seductively at the silent seishi who remained behind. "You have some feeling for this body too, don't you... Nuriko. Though you know he can see you as nothing more than a brother, you still hope he will give up on his obsession for Sou and come to you. Here is your chance; come to me and I'll see that you have his body."

Nuriko scowled. "You know nothing about me," he growled angrily as he approached the demon, locking eyes. "I won't let you play with my friends body like it's a toy! I'll force you out of there."

His hand shot out and slapped Tasuki hard across his cheek. "If you think flirting with me will help get you out of those chains, you're sorely mistaken. I only have eyes for His Majesty."

"WHAT TH' FUCK DID YA HIT ME FOR, YA AHO?!" Tasuki yelled, turning a livid face to look at his friend… and was surprised to see Nuriko rather than Sou.

"Hey, where'd Sou go? Wasn't he just here? Arright, this is pissin' me off! I close my eyes for one fuckin' second and that thing takes over and when I open my eyes again I'm gettin' fuckin' slapped! GET THIS FUCKIN' THING OUT OF ME NOW GODDAMNIT!"

Tasuki squirmed and bucked against the chains binding him to the wall, their anchors giving slowly under his frantic assault.

Nuriko shrugged casually. "Don't make me backhand you again, Tasuki-kun. And no, those chains are there to stay. Sou's orders."

A hard _chink!_ heralded the snapping of the anchors on the chains binding him, and that was all Yama-uba needed. It shoved Tasuki's consciousness aside once more, taking the bandit's body over and lunging at the retreating seishi, knocking him to the ground.

Nuriko shrieked in surprise as strong hands clutched him and forced him to the ground. A warm set of lips captured his as a snake-like tongue pushed its way past his lips, clawed hands pinning his wrists to the dirty floor.

Yama-uba leaned back with an evil grin. "Now that I have given you what you want, I can take what _I_ want." Fangs elongated as green eyes bored into Nuriko's, pinning him in place with their hypnotic gaze.

The sensation of the demon's tongue forcing its way into Nuriko's mouth left a revolting aftertaste and he struggled with the iron grip on his arms. _Shit!_ his mind cursed as he felt the demon's hypnotic trance take hold of his mind, weakening his ability to struggle.

Tasuki fought his way through the darkness engulfing him and when he opened his eyes he was staring down at Nuriko, who he had pinned to the floor of the barn. "N-Nuriko? Aw shit, what was that thing doin' to ya, Nuri-chan?" He sat back, releasing his grip on Nuriko's wrists as he got to his feet and helped a dazed Nuriko get to his. He worriedly looked his friend over, checking him for new wounds. He found a swollen bite on the back of his friend's shoulder. "Gods, Nuri-chan! What th' hell happened?"

Nuriko stumbled and rubbed at his eyes as the fog hovering over his mind began to clear up.

_What was that all about?_

He wiped his mouth on his hand, trying to get that awful taste out of his mouth. "Tasuki," he began, trying to keep alert in case the demon returned, "I need to chain you back up. You're not safe yet."

Tasuki frowned. "But yer hurt. Who hurt ya, Nuri-" he froze then hung his head in shame. "I did, didn't I? Shit, Nuri-chan, I'm sorry. Lemme see if it's infected 'er somethin'." He didn't want to be chained up again so he slipped his arm around Nuriko and gripped his uninjured shoulder, turning the purple haired seishi around to face him. A concerned look on his face, he pulled Nuriko's jacket off of one shoulder and then the other, baring him to the waist. "Just lemme look at it."

Remembering the demon, Nuriko pulled sharply away. "I'm fine! Really."

Being pushed away, Tasuki growled. "Damnit! Just lemme fuckin' look at it! I ain't gonna bite ya again!" he lunged forward and gripped Nuriko's face, pulling him forward and pinning him with his elbows against Nuriko's shoulders. He pushed Nuriko's head to one side and looked at the wound carefully, checking for any signs of poisoning. Seeing none, he sighed in relief and dropped his head forward against the smooth skin of Nuriko's neck.

"Thank th' gods. I don't want ya goin' through what I'm goin' through, Nuri-chan. Yer too important t'me. I can't let ya suffer like this."

Nuriko relaxed slightly after Tasuki let go of him. He was acting… somewhat normal. "Thanks, Tasuki-kun."

Tasuki's looked into Nuriko's eyes. "A' course; yer my Nuri-chan, ya know I'll do anythin' fer ya." The smile he gave Nuriko slowly melted into something darker, more intense. "Na, Nuri-chan... c'n.... c'n I kiss ya?" No laughter broke from his lips to belie his question, only an intensity that was nearly out of character for the bandit. "It's just that... I'unno, ya just seem t'look like ya need a kiss. Ya ain't gonna deck me if'n I kiss ya, are ya?"

Nuriko looked at him suspiciously for a brief moment, until he noticed that Tasuki's eyes had remained the same. "You silly bandit…" he managed to squeak out nervously, his cheeks reddening. His lips belonged to the Emperor!

Tasuki's grip on Nuriko changed. He smoothed his hands down Nuriko's back, gripping his hips as he lowered his head and touched his lips gently to his friend's. The kiss was sweet and tender, drawing a sigh from Tasuki's lips as he pushed harder, forcing Nuriko's lips apart and allowing his tongue to slither inside.

The hunger took over again and Tasuki raised his head, eyes flashing evilly as he smirked. "I've got you now!" He latched his teeth into Nuriko's neck, drawing blood and suckling hard as his hands moved over Nuriko's back, pinning him to his chest.

Nuriko gasped in horror as Tasuki latched onto his neck. Even his superhuman strength failed him as if it were being sucked from his veins. "H-help... someone!"

From somewhere behind Nuriko a fist whooshed past his ear, the wind of the punch lifting purple hair as it flew by. It made contact with Tasuki's nose with a loud crack, sending the demon/bandit screaming backwards across the ground on his shoulder. Hay fell from the loft on top of Tasuki as his body crashed into a supporting wooden pole, coming to a rest.

Sou stood against the bright light of the barn doors. "Are you hurt?" he asked Nuriko, never taking his eyes off Tasuki.

Nuriko gripped his shoulder, blood sluggishly seeping between his fingers. "I'll b-be okay. What about him?"

"What **about** him? How'd he get out?" Sou walked cautiously over to the slumped bandit.

"Tasuki was pissed about being chained up and not knowing what was going on and he broke the chains. I was going to tie him back up but I didn't get the chance."

Sou peered down at Tasuki's body and poked a boot toe in his side. "Help me get him tied up again." He snatched a long leather strap from off the horse's pen wall.

Nuriko gulped but moved forward, holding Tasuki's arms above his head.

Tasuki's eyes snapped open and he pulled Nuriko down, holding him between himself and Sou. "No, you're not going to tie us again. It took a lot of effort to enrage my bandit the first time." Yama-uba's sickly sweet voice stilled Nuriko's attempt to escape.

Sou grabbed Nuriko's shoulder and jumped up. Pushing Nuriko down, the demon still gripping to his back, he brought a knee up to Tasuki's head. It was followed quickly by his heel to the back of Tasuki's neck as Sou spun around.

"You're not going to use my friends as leverage," he growled to the demon.

Pain flickered in Tasuki's eyes as he glared up at Sou. "So yer back, eh? Why is it that every fuckin' time I open my eyes someone's beatin' on me!?!?!" He let go of Nuriko and scooted back. "Just don't fuckin' touch me, arright? Seems whatever's got my ass ain't lettin' go 'til someone decides t'kick me arou-" Tasuki's entire body jolted and he growled, glaring up at Sou.

"Fine, you want us to leave your pretty friend alone? Let us go. We'll just go back to the woods. You'll never have to see us again, pretty seishi. How is that for a deal?"

Sou ignored its words, hoping to just have to apologize to Tasuki later, then gritted his teeth and jumped on Tasuki, punching him in the face once more before grappling the thing to the ground. He threw the tethering to Nuriko. "I'll hold him down, you tie him."

"Sou, we need to find a way to get him back. He's still trying to recover from the wounds he incurred before any of this happened."

Yama-uba grinned. "Oh yes, you wouldn't 't want to hurt your dear bandit after such a delicious kiss, would you Nuriko?" Yama-uba smiled up at Sou. "Didn't he tell you? He shared the loveliest kiss with your little bandit friend a few moments ago."

Nuriko glared at Yama-uba and quickly set about tying its hands.

Sou glared down at the demon as it spewed its words at him. He had had enough of the damn thing's babble. Pulling a hand back, he spoke to it. "Sorry, Tasuki," he whispered as the side of his hand connected with the base of Tasuki's skull. At least that would knock him out without hurting too much when he woke up.

Sou looked to Nuriko and smiled apologetically. He seemed less than pleased with the last course of action on his part. "It talked too much."

He grabbed the end of the strap and wrapped it around Tasuki's wrists. Then, just to be certain, he flicked Tasuki's cheek to make sure he was really out this time.

Yama-uba lay quietly within Tasuki's mind, waiting for the two seishi that stood over its borrowed body to leave or, at the very least, drop their guard.

It needed to return to the woods. Its original form was going to rot away further if it didn't return… and fast. That body was connected to the flower. Anything that harmed the body would be reflected in the flower. Death of the flower meant the end of Yama-uba.

It watched and waited, sliding deeper into the bandit's consciousness, searching out its mistress, who had called it after the bandit in the first place.

_My lady, Miboshi-sama. I beg you to take these arrogant fools out of this place so that I can return to my own form! My flower is dying! Please, my lady, have mercy!_

Tasuki twitched, his brow furrowing and a mumbled name passed his lips...

"Mi..b..shi-..s..ma..."


	19. Chapter 18

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Kou Household

Chichiri sailed through alternate reality on his way back to Konan palace. He had secured the Suzaku no Miko, and he knew that his best bet would be to take her to the doctor therein, questions of his sobriety aside. He fully intended on bringing the young girl back inside those protective walls to be placed under the watchful care of her brother, Hotohori-sama, and himself.

The static flashing across his vision had other ideas. A storm of molecules, particles of red and blue light, and obscure microscopic collisions eclipsed his sight. His hands, holding the miko so tightly, flashed in and out of existence. His breath caught, and he might have dissipated before he ever understood what was going on, if he did not sense the strength of no less than three of Suzaku's seven close by.

Latched onto their chi, he borrowed from their strength and wrapped his kesa around himself and the girl. They vanished from the energy storm. The magnetic pull of the seishi to their miko yanked them across the land, through the forest, and dropped them right outside the door of a good-sized rustic home.

He was down on his knees. His mask was barely clinging to his face. When he looked up the first thing he saw was a beautiful girl, taking in the deep breath right before a scream.

Ji had just stepped across the threshold of the front door, presumably due to her curiosity over the goings-on in the barn. It was at this time that a monk with a melting face and a terrible scar blew in with the breeze, carrying a battered girl in his arms.

She let out a scream like she was being threatened at knifepoint as she backpedaled into the house.

Oh she was dancing excitedly... on the inside. That should be enough to free Yama-uba from her captors. They'd definitely come running after that.

The chi emanating from this man was dangerously powerful, and had he been the only one caught in her snare, she would have been rather irritated to say the least, but he had one of **them** with him. A miko. A heavenly maiden. An other-worldly girl. None of her other plans mattered quite so much now.

Sou had just finished inspecting the Tasuki/demon when a blood curdling scream came from the direction of the house. He didn't need to check to see who it was.

"Ji-hime!" he called out loud as he took off towards the scream. "Make sure he's tied!" he called back to Nuriko before he flung open the barn doors and ran outside.

"Damnit, what now?" Nuriko sighed as he dropped Tasuki's bindings, ignoring Sou's order completely, and ran for the door of the barn and after him. He raced towards the scream, hoping it wasn't one of those damnable demon beasts come to murder them all.

What Nuriko found as he ran around the side of the house was a decidedly worn looking... Houjun?

Outside the door of the house Sou saw a pile of purple and blue with no sign of Ji-hime.

The pile of people moved and Sou stopped, getting into a battle stance, "Who are you and what did you do to..." He stopped when he saw what he was carrying. The monk had a girl with him that looked beaten half to death. His eyes darted to the bruises and back to the smiling face. "Put her down," Sou growled at the new arrival, unusually protective of a girl he didn't know.

"Houjun? What are you-" Nuriko stopped as he noticed the slumped and obviously wounded Miaka in his arms. "Miaka! Oh gods!" Nuriko cried, pushing aside Sou to kneel at his friends' side.

With Nuriko's over-enthusiastic push Sou was successful at keeping from landing on his arm, but slammed down hard on his hip instead. Completely taken out of his battle-mode he winced and rubbed at his backside.

Nuriko seemed to know the two newcomers which meant they weren't enemies, but where did Ji-hime get off to? He looked around quickly.

"Must have run into the house," he sighed as he dusted off and walked over to the reunion. "You know them?" He looked down at the battered girl. She was pretty, even under all the bruises. He stared at her limp form. There was something about her, the condition she was in, or maybe the strange dress, that stirred something inside of him. Sou figured it was better to leave introductions for later and get yet another wounded person to Ma Kou.

Nuriko huddled next to Houjun, petting Miaka's hair back from her face. "Houjun-san, what happened to her, why are you here, where is Bandit-chan?!"

A soft moan escaped Miaka's lips as she opened her eyes to see Nuriko leaning over her. She then looked at the man holding her and smiled. This person had saved her but his face was all torn up somehow. Did the wolf man do that to him?

"Ah…" She managed to utter, looking around for familiar faces and trying not to move too much. She let her eyes fall closed, laying her head back down against the man's chest and biting down on her lips. Her head felt terrible, pounding as if it were repeatedly being beaten on. She felt dizzy too but kept her eyes closed and waited for it to pass.

Yama-uba opened its eyes as soon as it heard its mistress scream. _Thank you Miboshi-sama!_

It snapped its bonds and rolled to its feet, creeping towards the door of the barn and peeked out.

A group of people huddled over another pair. Yama-uba grinned and ran towards the tree line. An inhuman cackle trailed from Yama-uba's lips as it vanished into the woods.

"Just get her inside. Tasuki's mom will... Damnit!" Sou ran back to the barn. It hadn't even dawned on him that Nuriko hadn't stayed with the demon they had caught until now.

Nuriko glanced after Sou as he cursed and ran back towards the barn, a streak of red passing just at the edge of his sight. A devilish laugh floated through the air as the red flash vanished in the distance.

"Tasuki's gone into the woods!" he cried as he got to his feet. "Houjun-san, I'll help you get Miaka inside to Ma Kou but then I have a possessed bandit boy to round up."

He helped Houjun to his feet, taking Miaka from the tired looking monk's arms. "Ma! We got another one for you to whirlwind! A miko this time."

Ma Kou, arm wrapped in a thick swathe of bandages, appeared at the door. She sighed as she looked over the girl in Nuriko's arms. "You know the drill, Purple Hair, put her in Shun'u's bed and I'll look her over." She looked at the monk with an appraising eye. "You can have Purple Hair's futon. You look like you need some rest."

Chichiri was grateful, if a bit confused, for Kourin's willingness to help. Orders were shouted, a man ran into the forest, and in all of the mess, he caught something about a possession.

"I can help, no da!" he said, "But first..."

Gingerly, he handed Miaka over to Kourin.

The small girl didn't like all the shifting of her pain-struck body. She moaned and whined softly with the pass but cried out when her shoulder pressed into the chest of Nuriko. "GA-AH!" she contorted her face in agony and pulled out of his arms, allowing him to carefully set her down. "I've gotta go... my brother is waiting.. and his friend. My brother and his friend are waiting to go home.. I've got to find Yui... we gotta go home and take the exams."

She stopped and stared out into space. A strong breeze swept through the trees, rustling the leaves and sweeping though her long chestnut hair. "Kouji… is he okay?" she asked. Her voice was soft and distant, her eyes focused on nothing.

Chichiri walked up quietly behind her and planted his staff at his side. He lowered his head and shook it from side to side.

"Miaka-sama, Kouji-san is going to be okay, no da. I sent him back to the palace, no da," he paused and watched the back of her head before speaking once more, "He tried to fight the beast man who kidnapped you, and he would have most likely been hunted down and killed, no da. You will see him again once you regain your strength, but for now, please come inside and rest, no da."

She looked down as the mysterious man behind the mask spoke to her. She nodded and turned around to look at him. With the assistance of Ma Kou, Miaka walked into the house. She set her hand on her bruised temple and blinked heavily, not liking the spinning sensation her head was giving her. She looked over at the monk one last time and forced a bright smile on her face. "Thank you." she said, then realized she wasn't sure what he did to get her to safety. "So you killed... the beast man?" she paused and blinked a few times, not liking the large gaps of blackness in her memory. She must have hit her head again.

***

Sou flicked a glance to the woods at Nuriko's words and spotted Tasuki running into the distance. _Damn this day, this week._ He felt like he would never get a chance to rest again, and his body was in desperate need of it.

He'd started to stumble off in the direction Tasuki had run, wanting nothing but to get his friend back and whole again, when a soft hand clenched around his good arm. He looked back half expecting to find another demon ready to claw out his soul, but stared back into the frightened eyes of Ji-hime.

"Ji-hime," he said, surprised. She looked back at him and shook her head.

"Please don't go." Her lip quivered as her eyes searched his face.

"I- someone has to go get him back or that thing is going to kill him." He tried to plea with her, but she held fast, shining eyes begging him not to go. He took a few steps in the direction of the woods and Ji leaned backwards to drag him back. He was torn. He wanted to go help, but Ji would obviously not let him do so, and she needed someone near her right now. He looked away at the woods, into which Tasuki had disappeared already, then back to the deep green that pleaded with him to stay. They won out. He sighed in defeat and placed a hand over the slender one that held his arm. If he could get her calmed down enough, he'd set out after Tasuki later. It needed his body to survive, so it wouldn't do anything rash. "Let's go back and figure out what's going on."

They returned arm-in-arm to a powder-blue haired man in a sloppy mask and Nuriko. Sou sized up the new man while he spoke, "I have to get Ji back inside, could... " he was frustrated that he couldn't go himself, "...Could one of you go get that crazy boy back?"

Chichiri watched Miaka as she walked dazedly into the house. Despite her smile, he knew his answer had not calmed her. He knew too well how to spot the pain behind a smile.

A man who seemed vaguely familiar, who carried strongly the chi of Suzaku within him, asked him to retrieve the wayward one who had run wildly into the woods. He nodded emphatically.

"Leave it to me, no da! Please take care of Miaka-sama, no da," he turned to face the woods, "Kourin-san, follow me, no da!" he said.

***

There, laying in the dying grass, was Yama-uba's body. Tasuki cackled, a dry and slightly throaty sound that seemed to carry over the wind. He knelt over the dead body on the ground, a hellish yellow light forming around him as a thin trickle of energy flowed from the deep bite on his lip to the decaying form.

Its chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, its dry, gray skin lightening to a more white-ish cast.

Tasuki fell backwards onto his butt, his head spinning a bit as he was once more in full control of his body. He patted himself down, looking for any signs of the Yama-uba in his physical form.

Yama-uba got to her feet, clawed fingers latching into Tasuki's hair and pulling him along behind her towards the earthen cabin in her wood. Her flower was begging for energy and she intended to feed this boy's chi to it to make it thrive again.

Tasuki fought the demon bitch's grip on his hair but found his body far too drained to give it a fair fight. '_W__ell, I wanted t'get m'self killed... this works just as good as any other plan, I guess,'_ he thought.

Ji-hime's words echoed through his mind and he closed his eyes as the hurt began anew. He went limp in Yama-uba's grasp, resigning himself to the fate the demon had in mind for him.

Chichiri and Nuriko shot into the woods after the fiend-possessed man. Though his chi was weakening with each passing moment, Chichiri followed the signatures of Suzaku faithfully. It was not long until they caught up to the demon-hag, who was dragging the prone seishi by the hair over the bumpy forest terrain.

"Stop, no da!" Chichiri commanded.

Yama-uba turned around and glared. The snakes on her head flared out with hisses.

"What do you want?"

Chichiri glanced at the man on the ground. He looked so beaten and demoralized that he wasn't even putting up a fight.

"That's a mighty poor dinner, no da," Chichiri said.

"I'm not going to eat him, you fool. His energy is all that I need," Yama-uba spat back.

A light lit up on Chichiri's face obscured by the mask he had hastily replaced during the run.

"Not much energy left in that one, no da," Chichiri said nonchalantly, "Maybe you'd be interested in a trade, no da?"

"This man is a Suzaku seishi! He has far more energy than normal people like you," the demon scoffed and made to leave.

"Oh, then I guess you wouldn't be interested in a healthy Suzaku seishi, no da," Chichiri shrugged.

"What are you talking about?" Yama-uba appeared intrigued.

Chichiri pulled up his pant leg to reveal the glowing symbol on his knee.

"I am also a Suzaku seishi, no da," he explained.

The tiny red pinholes in Yama-uba's sunken eyes lit up with hunger.

"And you would... trade? Come willingly for this one?" she asked, her voracious appetite getting the better of her.

As soon as Nuriko understood what was going on he turned a shocked expression to Houjun. "You're a seishi? Wait, what?"

Tasuki turned his head, looking up at the hag that held him captive then at the oddly blank face of the man who would trade himself for someone he didn't even know. His kanji flared in recognition of another of Suzaku's followers and he hid the tell-tale glow. He frowned and looked away.

Chichiri nodded and stamped his shakajou into the ground, causing the rings to clang, "I would be willing to come with you, no da. If you leave that man and his friends alone, no da."

Yama-uba released Tasuki's hair and approached the monk.

"You will be bound by your contract. There is no escaping once you've given your word to a demon," she licked her thin craggy lips.

"Of course, no da. I would not go back on my word, no da."

"Then it is done!" she exclaimed and held out her boney wrinkled hand, "Come."

Chichiri looked to Nuriko and nodded silently, before walking hand in hand with Yama-uba into the misty woods.

Nuriko stared in shock at the strange couple. Was Chichiri just going to trade himself for Tasuki like that? He'd heard from people at the palace that Chichiri was an extremely intelligent man, but his course of action today seemed to be bordering on madness!

Or did it?

Nuriko frowned, his hand coming up to twiddle the end of his braid as he tried to figure out what exactly Chichiri could be thinking. He replayed the conversation in his head, looking closely at Chichiri's words.

He froze. _'Chichiri-san only promised to go with the demon, he never promised to let it take his energy! He's going to try and kill it!'_

"Tasuki, you go back to the house, I'm going to see if I can help Chichiri-san." He had turned to walk away when Tasuki reached up and gripped his wrist.

"Nuriko," Tasuki paused, then took a deep breath, "I'm sorry 'bout... ya know that thing th' demon bitch did to ya usin' my body. I like ya Nuriko-kun, but just not in _that_ way. I hope ya ain't pissed at me." He let go of Nuriko's wrist and sighed.

Nuriko let out a loud laugh. "Don't worry about it! I only love the Emperor anyway. You need to get home."

"Heh, easy for you to say. I can't even see straight, much less try to walk." He smiled but it fell and his voice had dropped to a deeper tone.

Nuriko sighed; he hated it when Tasuki lost his accent. It meant that this was really bothering him. He smiled, though, and hefted Tasuki to his feet, steadying the bandit boy with an arm looped around his neck. "I'll help you, but let's make this quick. Chichiri-san may need some help."

Nuriko half-dragged, half-carried Tasuki out of the woods as fast as possible. The clearing in which Ma Kou's house sat came into view and Nuriko set Tasuki down at the edge of the tree line. "Aidou! Come get this baka, I'm going back for Chichiri-san!"

Aidou poked her head out the front door a few moments later. "Fine!" She sighed and walked over, berating her little brother the whole way. "Shun'u, I swear, you always get into trouble. If you weren't so beaten I'd kick your scrawny little ass! You bit Ma!" she clouted him over the head, grabbing his collar, and dragged him towards the house.

Nuriko shook his head and made his way back into the woods. "Hold on Chichiri-san, I'm coming to help," he whispered as he ran back the way he had come.

Miaka sat at the large wooden table and stared out the window with no expression on her face, focusing on just breathing. Ma Kou took one look at her shallow breaths and insisted she sit up a while longer before she would be allowed to lay down, just in case her lungs gave out.

Sou sat with Ji-hime inside the house, hoping that the two seishi would bring back Tasuki before the demon decided to do anything more to him. Inside there was awkward silence. The new girl sat by the window and just started out, not even making eye contact with them.

Ji-hime looked up at him and back to the girl. She looked concerned and opened her mouth to speak, but before either of them could even ask the girl's name, The Whirlwind came flurrying into the living room and grabbed both of them by the wrists. He only hoped she had yanked Ji-hime a little gentler than she had him.

"You two are going to make with the cleaning up of that room. I'll need the bed made and that pot that's on the floor, bring it to the kitchen and fill it with new water. One of you light the fire and bring a few rags."

There was no room for argument in her string of orders. Sou jumped to attention. "Hai!" he yelped to the woman, his eyes wide and blinking in shock.

He made his way into the kitchen to light a fire and grabbed the pot like she said. Ji had gotten to making the bed, but didn't look too enthusiastic. She just patted the blankets a few times and threw the pillows to the headboard. She kept throwing glances out the bedroom door.

By the time he was finished with the duties assigned to him, Ma Kou had come and ordered more tasks be done. He wanted to speak to the new arrival but he supposed that would have to wait.

Finally, he peeked out of the bedroom door and checked the halls for the woman. When he was certain there was no sign of her, he snuck out into the living room where he intended to make their acquaintance. He was leading Ji-hime by the hand, hoping to escape another sting of orders.

As expected, the girl was still at the window. Sou took a few steps towards her.

"I'm sorry we had such a rushed meeting but I'd like to know you're..." There was practically a rush of wind as she jumped up and ran out the door saying something about wolves. He looked down to Ji and raised an eyebrow, "Maybe she's crazy."

Miaka watched all the people that lived in the house, scurrying about, but hadn't made the connection to her former traveling companion until she saw him being scolded and beaten by one of them. She gasped and stood up. None of her injuries meant a thing when she saw his face again. Her heart skipped a beat.

_Is it really him?_

Without a moment's delay, Miaka ran out of the room and to the side of her beloved friend. She grabbed a hold of him tightly, squeezing him in a long embrace. "I missed you Gen-chan!" A few tears of happiness traced their way down her cheeks.

Tasuki groaned as he recognized the scent of the person hugging him. "M-Mi-chan?"

Miaka wiped away her tears and smiled. "What happened to you? I'll help you get him inside." She said to the girl.

"I can take most of his weight on my back, you just help if I lose my footing."

Aidou grabbed Tasuki's arm and pulled so he was leaning against her a bit, then hoisted him up onto her back.

He rolled his eyes. Why did people always carry him? It was damned embarrassing to be carted around by a girl all the time!

Aidou snorted and pointed at the last room at the end of the hall. "That's his room but Ma said to put you there. I don't know if you should take him..."

Ma pushed Aidou aside and smiled widely. "Of course since you know Shun'u so well, it's okay for you to share a room!" Her smile was full of motherly pride.

"Ma, shut up. It ain't like that. Mi-chan's my miko-" Tasuki started.

"OH! He's already laid claim to you! How adorable! Go, go! Get to your room you love-birds!" Ma pushed Miaka towards the room and slammed the door behind them.

Tasuki sighed as the door slammed shut behind them, a slight blush coloring his face. "I see ya still got that dress I gave ya. It looks real good on ya, Mi-chan. Don't worry 'bout what Ma said. You're safe with me. I don't like girls, ne?" He smiled and hugged her tight before he drug himself to the bed and sat down. He'd forgotten how soft her skin was, how her eyes sparkled.

"Thank you." She looked down at the bed, feeling her heart twist in her chest when he reminded her that he didn't like girls. Miaka set her hand in his and held it gently. "We need baths. I've been travelling for so long I feel dirty!"

Tasuki flopped back on the bed and gestured to the door for her. He was too tired to do anything at the moment.

Miaka quietly left the room, looking for Ma Kou. When she found her and made her request for a bath, she was quickly provided a large bowl of warm water and a washrag. She then returned to the room Genrou was in and sat down beside him, setting the bowl on the nightstand.

Miaka started by squeezing the water out of the rag and then wiped his face clean. She unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it open. She was grateful for the dim light hiding her blush as she began wiping his chest down with the warm water, taking extra care around any wounds she found along the way.

***

After completing a few more chores, things seemed to have quieted down and Sou was given a few minutes to relax. It was finally a good time to meet the girl he had just spent the past 30 minutes with. He lifted a hand to knock and had to stop a second to wonder if he should be interrupting. Maybe they were… no, not possible! Sou fought past the suspicion and knocked three times on the wooden door.

Thankfully, all of that was over, and Miboshi no longer had to serve her time in Ma's Manual Labor Force. She had stuck pretty closely to Sou's side the entire time, contemplating her next move. The miko was here. Right there in Tasuki's room. It was obvious to her, at least, that she was not his lover, but that was of little consequence in the end.

She was still unsure as to what the monk's arrival really meant for her. Could he sense her allegiance to Seiryuu, as she sensed his loyalty to Suzaku? Or could she fool him as she had the others? Perhaps, Seiryuu willing, Yama-uba would take care of him before she ever had to formally learn his name.

She stood at a spike in her destiny. Paths splintered out in all directions. If she could fool the monk, and get close to the miko, then perhaps by her power she could grasp the dream she had held for at least a century. If he was not fooled, or she somehow was revealed in some other way, then, with the addition of this new arrival, they would finally prove worthy opponents.

So it was that, despite Tasuki's presence in the same room, she decided to follow Sou on his quest to meet the miko. She walked up behind him and pressed a gentle hand onto his back so as not to startle him, and awaited the response from within.

Miaka's hand flinched as there was a knock on the door and she lifted the wet rag off of Tasuki's skin and set it in the bowl. She walked over to the door and opened it.

Her eyes met with the strangers and she gave him a friendly smile. "Yes?" she asked, then looked past him and around the corner, half expecting Tasuki's mom to be watching. She looked back to Sou and gestured for him to come in.

When the girl answered, Ji-hime timidly peered around Sou to see her.

"I'd like to come in as well, if that's all right," Miboshi said.

"Of course! My name is Miaka," she whispered, taking one last glance at Sou before going sitting on the bed beside Tasuki. She gestured to him with a tilt of her head. "Do you know Gen-chan? Are you a mountain bandit too?" Curiosity took over and questions began to pour from her lips. She wanted to know how Tasuki managed to have so many guests in his home.

Sou shook his head, answering the last question first. He stepped aside and looked to Ji, who had come up behind him while he waited. He held his hand out to her to welcome her inside as well. He was vaguely aware of a strange rift inside of him, as if something was trying to tug from both sides.

"Miaka." He repeated her name. Odd, it felt like he already knew her. "Mine's Sou, and this is Ji-hime" He glanced over to the bed where Tasuki lay in ruin and chuckled "Gen-chan huh? This guy has more names..." Directing his attention back to Miaka, he smiled. Strange, he hadn't smiled in a while, had he? It felt like a breath of fresh air. Maybe this strange girl would be good to keep around. "So, where did you and that other guy come from and how do you know Nuriko?"

"It's nice to meet you Sou, Ji-hime." Miaka bowed her head respectfully and continued to smile.

Sou was a very handsome guy and the girl, Ji-hime, was very beautiful as well. She clung tightly to him like a lover.

"Are you two married or engaged?" she asked brightly.

Sou was stopped mid-smile by intense shock. "Um..."

Luckily Ji-hime answered for them both.

"No. Not yet anyway."

She flashed a bright smile to the other girl in the room. The girls shared an odd smile between them that Sou was kind of scared about. Married? He hardly knew her... but she **was** rich.

Tasuki had been shocked into silence by Miaka's forward attitude when she'd unbuttoned his shirt and began washing his chest. He'd been too surprised by Sou and Ji-hime's visit to greet them properly.

But as soon as Miaka asked whether Sou and Ji-hime were either married or engaged, he shot to his feet, his shirt fluttering to the floor. "HELL NO! He _ain't_ with _her_!" A blush worked into his face and half way down his chest as he realized how possessive that had sounded and sat back down, "Er... not that I'm aware of anyway."

He looked at anything but the people crowded into his room, only once flicking his glance up at Sou before dropping it back to the floor.

Tasuki jumped to his feet, the desire to escape both Sou and Miaka's questioning eyes weighing on him. "Uh, pardon me." He scooted passed Sou and Ji-hime and made for the door, needing to get out of the tense room.

Sou'd barely thought about it for the second before Tasuki jumped out of bed and proclaimed it to NOT be the truth. Then a huffed up Tasuki slipped past them to the hall.

"Well I guess he's better," Sou said, further shocked by the sudden outburst.

He was acting really strange ever since... well, ever since he knew him, which he supposed technically made it the status quo, but even more so now. If the demon was still inside of him then it would have taken the opportunity while it was alone with the girl, but…

Sou excused himself. "I, um... It was nice meeting you, I'll... *sigh* I'll be right back." He got to the doorway and turned around, wanting to plead with them to not talk further about marriage plans he was unwillingly part of, but decided against it and left without another word.

He needed to keep an eye on Tasuki and find Yuiren and Chuei to make sure they were still safe.

Miaka merely sighed, used to Tasuki's strange outbursts by now. She looked at Sou and smiled. "It was nice meeting you too," she agreed with a tilt of her head.

Underneath her smile, she felt her heart sink. Alone with the beautiful girl, her cheeks turned bright red with a mixture of nervousness and fever remaining from the injuries she'd not yet addressed.

"You and Sou might be getting married soon?" she asked with a pleasant smile, trying to fight the cramping pain in her abdomen.

Miboshi watched Miaka move carefully. She was such a bright, innocent girl.

She favored her with an eager smile, and came to sit down on the bed next to her. Her eyes roved across her face and up to the two messy odango in her hair. She wasn't particularly exotic looking, but the scent of an entirely new world drew her in more than anything.

"Maybe... I haven't known Sou for long, but I feel like I've known him my whole life, you know?" she paused to give a gentle smile, "How do you know Tasuki?"

The woman came to sit beside Miaka and began a casual conversation about someone named Tasuki. "Who's Tah-ski?" she asked with a tilt of her head. Then the light in her mind came on. "Oh! You mean Genrou? He kept me safe when I came into this world," she said softly, "He's protected me."

She looked downward at the bed and continued. "He's put his life in danger so many times..." she looked up at Ji-hime and blushed, "I guess you probably didn't need to know all of that."

As Miaka spoke, Miboshi's gaze descended upon her form and examined the gashes and the tears in her clothes. Her brows furrowed with worry.

"Oh! You look injured. Are you all right? Did that monk hurt you?"

Miaka looked at her own bruised and battered body. "I was being taken to Kutou by a big hairy beast thing. He was the one that did this to me. I don't know how the blue haired guy found me, but he didn't do this."

Miaka stayed silent for a moment and hastily covered her shoulder with her hand and tried to think of something more to say.

"That's terrible!" Ji exclaimed, "We've been attacked by beast men as well. Quite a lot of them in fact. They..." she paused, "They killed Sou's siblings, and my father..." she trailed off and glanced out the window with a blank stare. She would not go beyond that point unless asked. Obviously this girl had a great fondness for that incorrigible fool, so any pointing of fingers his way would result in a rift between them. That was the very last thing Miboshi wanted.

Miaka's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "I'm so sorry for your loss." she said, setting her hand gently on the girl's back. No wonder Gen-chan had been so injured. He must have been fighting the beasts when he met Ji and Sou.

When Ji came back to herself, she looked at Miaka, "You said Tasuki has protected you since you came into this world. Do you mean since you were born? Did he adopt you?" she asked, hoping to open the girl up to talking about her true origins.

Miaka noticed the abrupt change of subject and understood completely. She had things that she wouldn't want to sit and discuss either. She especially wouldn't want to talk about her brother or Yui dying.

Miaka laughed. "No, Tasuki isn't my father! I only came here only a month or so ago." She looked down and tried to remember where she was.

"I was reading a book called The Universe of the Four Gods and before I knew it I was in this place called Kutou," she looked up at Ji-hime, "Ever heard of it? I hadn't." She paused and smiled. "Anyway, the first person I met there was Gen- er, Tasuki. Gen-chan had to leave me during the trip... so he had his friend, Kouji, stay with me. We journeyed all the way to the capital city of Konan. That's when I learned that my brother and his friend came to this world too!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"I was snatched up by this big beast man." She looked at the door and focused her eyes there. "Kouji came after me, but he was captured too. I don't know where he is now, but that monk man told me he was safe.

" I need to go back to Konan where my brother and his friend are waiting for me. They must be so worried! Then I need to find my friend, Yui. The four of us were reading the book together and so far I know that three of us are here..." she paused and looked at Ji-hime, "I suppose Yui could still be safe at home, but if she is here I need to make sure she comes home with me."

Miaka had just realized how carried away she'd become and covered her mouth. "Sorry, I know you didn't ask me about any of that. You just seem really easy to talk to and I get carried away easily." She looked down and took a deep breath. Had it been that long since she'd been able to enjoy girl talk with a _real_ girl?

Miboshi was completely taken aback. Was this girl so naive to trust her right away with the story of the other world? And the information she put forth was astounding.

Their entire world was contained within a book inside of a library in her world. Somehow, knowing that made everyone she'd ever known seem even more insignificant than before.

Miaka also mentioned that she'd come here with another girl - which explained the activation of both the chosen of Suzaku and of Seiryuu - but what of her brother and his friend? What role could they possibly play?

"No, I'm very interested in what you have to say," Miboshi said with a genuine smile, "I want to hear all about where you're from."

Ji-hime wasn't as bored as Miaka thought she would be after listening to her whole story. "Oh.. Japan really isn't _that_ interesting. I'm just a middle school student, studying for my high school entrance exams. This world is so much more exciting!" she paused and smiled, "Everyone cares about me here."

***

Tasuki shuffled out of the room. He wanted just to get away from them and any questions they would have asked. He didn't want to answer questions as to why he'd left, and he sure as hell didn't want to answer to Sou about the kiss he'd shared with the false version of him.

He slunk down the hall, sneaking past the kitchen entrance and peeking into the living room to see Yuiren sitting on the floor playing with a few of his sister's old dolls and Chibi Sou sitting opposite her, a sickly smile playing on his lips as he watched her play.

Tasuki eased past the playing chibis and made for the front door. His vision blurring a bit and his feet faltering as he pushed open the door and fell out, face first, the grass rushing up to meet him.

"Running away again?"

Hands shot out in front of Tasuki and snatched him away from the grass. Sou pulled him up to face him, like it or not.

"What do you think you're running from?" He grabbed Tasuki's chin and turned his face towards his. No way he was going to get out of this without answering some questions. "Cause I have news for you, Tasuki. No matter what you did, what you want to leave behind, you run and it all goes with you. Any guilt, any anger, its inside YOU and you can't run away from yourself!"

He was going on without giving Tasuki a moment to answer. "Do you think I like living with what happened? Do you not think that every day their faces are in my mind? That I want to get away from it, run from myself? " He shook with anger… or was it pain? Either way, tears had started to well in his eyes. "But I don't, cause that'd be _fucking_ selfish! You may not have two kids to look after, but you've got us. So face whatever it is inside of you and stop running!"

Tasuki stared at Sou wide-eyed as he ranted and screamed, tears welling in his eyes to roll slowly down his cheeks as he relived his own moments of hell.

He was embarrassed to be watching this beautiful man fall apart, but he was held in place by the grip on his chin and had no choice but to watch. He just wanted to be alone right now, but it seemed as though Sou wasn't going to allow it.

"I _can't_!" he yelled back, desperation giving him strength to jerk his chin from Sou's grasp. "Don't ya understand? I'm runnin' from my failures and from _you_!" he staggered back a few paces then turned towards the barn. "Just leave me alone… ya got yer princess an' ya got two kids, why would ya want me here anyways? It's not like _you_ feel th' way that that fuckin' demon pretended you did... er, it did... you when it was it... no, when it was playin' as you... aw, fuck it. Ya don't feel that way, end of story."

Sou blinked at him. It was… a confession. He had never really expected to hear that when he had come out here to let Tasuki know he shouldn't run.

"I…" he started to speak, but he didn't know what else to say after that. "Tasuki, look at me." he said much softer than before. They needed to talk this out. Ji was getting acquainted with Miaka, so there shouldn't be any interruptions.

Sou waited till he thought Tasuki was listening and took a breath. "It isn't right for Ji to blame you. It wasn't your fault that her father died. You... you did what you could, and protected the rest of the palace, the rest of us. Time will make her realize that," he was speaking to himself as well, "And Tasuki, all I've ever thought about was my family. I never let myself fall for anyone. Now even more than ever, I have to be there for them. I can't let my feelings for anybody get in the way of protecting those around me, but how I feel in that way isn't important right now. We're connected because of this..." He brushed back his bangs. The symbol had appeared again, dimly lit up and dark-red on his forehead. It hadn't stopped glowing since the monk and Miaka had arrived.

Sou had never accepted the mark. Growing up, other children had made fun of him and it had always felt more like a curse than a destiny. He had heard the legend but, having never met anyone else with this so-called fate, he didn't ever believe it. Tasuki and Nuriko seemed so proud of what they bore that Sou had figured it was time to fess up. He couldn't ignore it any longer. His country was calling for him to stand up and find the girl who would lead them out of war.

"Like you said before, we're seishi and we're in this together. You and I are always going to be important to each other." He let his hair fall again and took a step towards Tasuki. "So, let me reintroduce myself," he put a hand on Tasuki's shoulder and bowed, "Tamahome, of the Suzaku shichi seishi, and I'm asking you as a fellow guardian to stay."

Tasuki stopped once Sou started talking but kept his back turned, unwilling to look at Sou as he waited for the expected response.

With every word, his shoulders slumped even more. He'd been expecting this, but somewhere in the depths of his heart... he'd been hoping he was wrong. He nodded when appropriate and kept silent, afraid to trust his voice for fear that it would crack.

Tasuki plastered a blank look on his face and turned as Sou brushed back his bangs; the symbol had appeared again.

Tasuki cleared his throat, faking a smile, "Nice to meet you, Tamahome, but I need a minute alone. I'm just going to the barn loft, no need for you to follow. I'm not going to leave," he sighed.

He forced his smile wider, allowing his fangs to peek out, although his eyes wouldn't meet Tamahome's directly. "The miko's in the house with your... girlfriend. Her name's Miaka. Go introduce yourself. Have fun."

Tasuki turned again and shuffled further away, needing the seclusion of his childhood hiding place to get himself under control before he lost it.

Tamahome turned back towards the house, knowing that Tasuki would be better off on his own right now. He didn't bother correcting him, even though the conclusions he jumped to were slightly off. Sometimes people need to hear what they need to hear in order to move on. The more shocking piece of information that he was left with as Tasuki stumbled off into the barn was that Miaka was their miko. He was surprised. The miko was just delivered to them that easily? He had always expected a long journey throughout all of Konan trying to find the girl he was supposed to serve.

He shrugged and turned around. Even if Tasuki was being sarcastic about what he said, introducing himself to Miaka properly was probably what he should be doing right now. Tamahome had made it exactly three steps into the living room when a bright feeling of pain shot through him. Not pain in his own body, but rather like a broadcasted scream he could pick up from someone else. He froze where he was and waited to make sure another wave wasn't going to follow on its heels.

Miaka set her hand over her mouth. She could feel this terrible pull inside of her. It was the same as when Tasuki was in trouble up at the mountain. She released the pillow she had been holding to her side and stood up, ran to the door, and pulled it open. She saw Sou standing by himself in the living room, the two little kids sitting off to the side. "Where is Gen-chan?" she asked urgently. She looked up at Sou with wide eyes. "Where did he go? I have this terrible feeling that he must be in danger." She realized how crazy this all probably sounded to Sou, but he just wouldn't understand that she had a connection with Tasuki. Little did she know, this terror-stricken feeling was actually for Chichiri, the monk man.

Ji followed close behind.

She listened to her conversation with Sou, and wished that the girl might be right, but knowing Tasuki, no matter what kind of danger he was in, he'd somehow live and drag his worthless carcass back just to bother everyone, most of all Miboshi, for all eternity.

Tamahome blinked. Miaka's feeling of worry matched his. He had never connected the two things before, he'd never really had any way of doing so, but now it all made sense. They were connected; through Suzaku they could feel each other. But he had just seen Tasuki going into the barn. Unless 'Gen-chan' had tripped and landed in a bear trap, there was no danger there. Tamahome held Miaka by the shoulders and steadied her.

"Tasuki's fine, he just went to be alone for a few minutes. It must be someone else." He wondered for a moment if Ji might have also been part of their entourage, but realized it didn't make sense that Miaka would have come running out asking about Tasuki then. His mind connected the next two dots. With all the coincidences he was almost positive of his conclusion. "Where did that monk go off to?"

Tasuki limped his way into the barn and climbed the rope up into the loft. His muscles ached and his shoulder tore open again but he brushed it aside as he seated himself on the loft floor.

He rummaged around in his boot for the thin, black, leather bound book he always carried and dug out a brush and pot of paint from one of his hiding spots in the loft. He began to write furiously, his hand flashing over the page as silent tears worked over his lashes to roll down his cheeks and splash on the hastily scrawled words.

Tasuki had just closed the book with a sigh of frustration and tucked it back into his boot when a flare of red hot pain jolted through him. He cried out in surprise and bolted to his feet. "Miaka!"

He leapt to the rope and slid down, all the while muttering under his breath. "Damned onna, never get a minute alone. Always gettin' in trouble a'fore I c'n relax!" He recognized the pain from the many times before that Miaka had been in trouble, and assumed that she was the one hurting.

He half-ran, half-stumbled the distance to the house and slammed open the front door, glaring inside and looking for any possible threat to his miko.

Seeing Tamahome gripping her shoulders, he let out a growl and charged forward. "Let her th' fuck go!" he shoved Tamahome aside and pulled Miaka into a protective hold. "I said t'introduce yerself, not fuckin' hurt her ya baka!"

He promptly ignored Tamahome and turned his attention to Miaka, checking her over for new injuries of any kind. "Ya okay, Mi-chan?" he asked once he had confirmed that she wasn't hurt, or at least that she didn't have any new injuries. "What th' fuck's th' goddamned terror/pain signal for? Yer arright far as I c'n tell." He asked as gently as he could, not wanting to scare her further if she were really afraid.

Ji listened quietly when Tasuki stormed in and threw baseless accusations at Sou. Apparently, Suzaku's warriors were not accustomed to the intuition Suzaku had instilled within them to alert them of any danger their fellow seishi might be in. It was a defense mechanism, truly, for if even one of them died, then summoning Suzaku would be a much more difficult task. It mattered little to her that they were feeling this sense of urgency, except that it meant that perhaps Yama-uba had managed to be useful after all.

"Honestly, you think Sou would ever hurt her?" she revealed herself, fighting to keep the indignant tone out of her voice, "He was telling her that **you** were fine after you ran off for the second time today."

Miboshi sighed internally. She should probably say something to soften that blow, else risk alienating herself from the miko. Why did she have to have such an attachment to _this_ seishi? Couldn't it have been Sou? Or even Nuriko?

"You made us all worry that you might be dead," Ji said quietly as she stood at Sou's side.

Miaka looked confused as Genrou was looking her over and cursing at Sou. "But I already met Sou, remember?" she spoke softly, looking at him with an odd expression. She didn't try to explain though. Genrou was asking questions and Ji-hime was answering them. There was an animosity between the two that she couldn't help but feel. What had happened in the time she and Genrou had been apart?

She noticed that the awful feeling she'd had faded and was now gone. _Maybe we were just supposed to be together for some reason…_

"I'm okay Gen-chan but… I thought it was you who was in trouble."

After being shoved aside, Tamahome took a little while to realize that it was he who was being yelled at by Tasuki, despite not doing anything wrong. Ji-hime had appeared to defend him. This whole thing could get very messy, given their history, but Tamahome just stared at Tasuki and thought about how quickly he appeared to have gotten over his angst. Oh, the odd things you think when you've been confused and knocked to the ground after an intense fight and a love confession. He shook his head and sprung to his feet.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he added to the accusations. "I'm obviously not trying anything with her."

He pushed Tasuki back and angrily spat out his next accusation. "If you weren't so damn full of self pity, you'd realize that she was fine till you came running in here screaming at everyone."

He didn't mean it to come out so harsh, but it had and he couldn't take it back now.

Tasuki frowned. He hadn't taken time to actually look at things logically when he'd stormed in. Usually when he felt that specific wave of fear it was because Miaka was in danger. He'd never really felt it otherwise and reacted without thinking.

But there was no way in hell he was going to tell them that, so he regained his voice and pulled Miaka back to his side. "She's _my_ fuckin' miko. I been by her side since she first got here. She c'n be a handful with all th' trouble that seems t'be attracted t'her. Hell, ya shoulda seen th' shit we got in back at Reikaku over her short fuckin' skirt. My own men tried t'molest her. I trusted them an' I don't know ya from a stranger on th' street _Tamahome_. How was I t'know ya wasn't tryin' t'hurt her?" He was trying like hell to keep his voice light and cheerful, keeping his eyes hidden under his bangs so that no one could see what he was really thinking.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath then looked up at the people in the room. "Sorry, I'm just tired I guess..." He stared at Ji-hime, an image of her and the demon that had possessed him sitting in a small hut having tea. A name floated through his mind...

"Miboshi?" he whispered.

Memories of this woman and the demon flitted behind his eyes so fast that he could barely hold on to any single image. "You-" he shook his head as another image flashed through his mind's eye; a glowing blue kanji on this woman's belly and the name of a god, but he couldn't grasp which one.

"Damn, I guess I'm more tired than I thought. Fer a minute there I could'a swore... Nah. Anyways, g'night all." He released Miaka and turned on his heel to go down the hallway, back towards his old room.

Miaka looked between the men, confused. She couldn't understand why Genrou was calling Sou 'Tamahome'. And why was he 'Tasuki'? She just stood silently where Genrou held her before he left. She felt his touch lingering on her skin and her heart fluttered again.

"I suppose we should all be going to bed," she stammered awkwardly. She felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, reminding her that she needed bandages and rest.

She looked at Sou and Ji-hime shyly, realizing that she didn't know them very well but she needed help to get her wound cleaned up before she went to bed. Gen-chan was in a mood and she didn't want him to know that she was injured on top of everything else. He worried about her too much.

"Sou... I hate to ask but would you mind helping me with this?" she asked, while she brought her hand to the neckline of her dress and slipped the ripped fabric off of her wound. "It isn't as bad as it looks... but-" she stopped talking and shrugged, a light blush spread across her cheeks.

Miboshi quirked an eyebrow at what sounded like her name spoken from Tasuki's lips. Thankfully, he soon took his leave, and she was left with Miaka and Sou, or 'Tamahome' as he'd apparently told Tasuki was his true name.

Her eyelids slid down until her eyes were half-closed in suspicion at Miaka's request. Perhaps the girl was not as innocent as Miboshi had originally taken her to be.

Tamahome brought his attention back to his newly found miko. The air was thick with tension after Tasuki's departure. His heart went out to the girl. He took one step in her direction, intending to comfort her when Ji-hime spoke up.

"I can take care of it," she interjected, "We should get you a place to rest. Sou, why don't you get Tasuki's mother to come bandage this properly?"

Tamahome looked back at Ji-hime, embarrassment coloring his cheeks. He hadn't quite noticed the way Miaka had slipped her collar down to reveal her wound until Ji had interjected. Now he was all too aware of the exposed skin and was grateful that she suggested he leave and get someone.

"Ji-hime will take care of it Miaka." He said in response to her request. He nodded to Ji-hime and headed for the hall when he stopped and turned to face them again. Tamahome fought down the blush and came back to his senses. "Will you be up for a little while longer?" He still had to tell her about him and he wanted to talk to her with out anyone else around.

Miaka didn't think anything about showing her shoulder until Ji-hime spoke up and sent Sou out of the room. His face was bright red. She was trying to figure out what was going on. Ji-hime looked at her as if she were protecting Sou from Miaka.

"I suppose so." Truthfully, Miaka hadn't planned to go to bed at all. She wanted to catch up with Gen-chan and plan her return to the capital so she could continue the search for Yui-chan. "Why do you ask?"

While the others carried on without him, Tasuki crept into his mother's room, searching for the bottle of sake she usually kept for cleansing wounds. Finding his prize under her bed, he snuck back out and darted into his room. Ma didn't approve of drinking; just another reason for him to do it.

He smirked as he uncorked the bottle, tipping it to his lips and taking a deep drink. Purring as the sake burned a fiery path down his throat, he settled himself on the small futon under the window and proceeded to drink himself to sleep.


	20. Chapter 19

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Meanwhile, in the woods near Tasuki's home

Through the woods, Chichiri followed Yama-uba as she twisted around the trees. Every now and then, she'd look back at him to make sure he was still there. He'd hold up a hand and wiggle his fingers in a cheery wave. She'd snort and turn back to her search. He had originally thought to memorize the way to her home, but she was taking such a convoluted path that she seemed to be purposefully trying to confuse him.

Then, out of nowhere, she stopped. Chichiri looked around. He could neither see nor sense any reason for her sudden stop. Then a whistling like the wind sounded and he took a step back in surprise at the sight of her hut.

It came bounding up on one enormous chicken leg, whirling in circles as it did so. She muttered an incantation in a language he could not understand, and the hut slowly ceased its turning, finally coming to rest with its door toward them. It set itself down so that they could enter. The two giant windows on either side of the door almost seemed to blink sentiently.

Behind Chichiri, a fence made of human bones rose from the ground to surround the hut. He watched as it latched itself shut and skulls appeared atop the fence. One spun around and clacked its teeth at him. He stared at its glowing red eyes in horror. These must be the guards.

"Come now," she called as she opened the door for him.

"Thank you, no da," he said politely as he walked past her and into the house.

She climbed in after him and shut the door. Inside, the hut seemed fairly cozy save for the various jars of floating limbs, dead animals, and other unidentifiable liquids and powders. A fuzzy rug rested quietly before a brightly burning green fire in the fireplace.

"Make yourself at home," she cackled.

"Thank you, no da," he said again, before taking a seat in a rather normal looking rocking chair.

"Let me prepare a few things," she said as she unscrewed the top to a jar labeled 'pickled worms'.

While she was busy, he examined the walls, the ceiling, the shelves. How was she planning to draw out his chi? Was it just as simple spell? A potion? Or did she have a device that he could find and destroy?

"You know that man? That bandit man? A good friend of yours?" Yama-uba chatted conversationally.

"I do not know him, no da. But he is strongly connected to me, no da."

"You gave yourself up for someone you don't know?" she turned to look at him with her beady eyes.

"The Suzaku seishi know each other in our hearts, no da," Chichiri stated without reservation.

She laughed at this, and this time it sounded gentle and kind, like a normal old woman. She reached up to pull down an herb hanging from the ceiling. She said a few words and threw her components into a mortar. She ground the ingredients together while Chichiri watched. She withdrew a single white flower with four broad white leaves. She cupped it gingerly in her hands and sprinkled her strange mixture on top of it.

He studied the flower with curiosity.

"You're quite a skilled magician, no da," he complimented her.

"Why thank you, young man. You are quite knowledgeable to be able to recognize this. Such a wise young hero."

Before he could speak another word, he felt something shoot through him, as if he'd been ejected from his own body. The flower glowed red as it sucked the power of Suzaku through the air.

The flower! He had to get that flower.

His mind was reeling, and he could barely maintain his grasp on any thoughts that passed through his mind. Any normal person would have died instantly, but he still had quite a lot of chi to draw upon. If he could just hold on, he could direct a spell at the flower and destroy it right now. If he could just...

"Chichiri-san!" Nuriko called as he tried to follow the footprints left by the duo, but the trail was so hard to find much less follow! "Chichiri-san! Where are you?!"

He followed the faint trail as far as he could until the tracks stopped all together. He looked up from the tracks and was astounded by the strange hut sitting before him.

A large chicken leg held it aloft and the windows seemed to shift and sway as though watching for someone to pass by. Nuriko hid behind a tree and studied the thing. What looked like human bones made up the gate that surrounded the house. Red eyed little skulls sat atop the posts and chattered amongst themselves in a strange sort of clacking language.

A faint glow came from the window-eyes of the hut, drawing Nuriko's attention.

_Oh no! Chichiri might be dying! Hold on Chichiri-san, I'm coming!_

He could feel his kanji flaring and his chi spiraling ever higher as he charged towards the hut. With a flying kick he broke through the bone-fence, but could see no stairs leading up and into the chicken-legged hut.

"Chichiri-san, hold on! I'm coming!"

He gripped the door and started to hoist himself upwards when the entire hut began to whirl around in an effort to fling him off. He latched onto the knob, his body swinging outwards and perpendicular to the house. A scream of surprise and fear tore from his lips, but he refused to let go until he got to Chichiri-san.

Someone. Someone was calling his name. Someone... a Suzaku seishi, like him. Chichiri's good eye snapped open.

Yama-uba gasped with surprise.

"Pests, trying to get into my home!" she ranted, "They won't get through the front door. Don't worry, 'Chichiri-san'."

Chichiri's eyelid was sliding shut again, but he kept forcing it back open. His iris rolled around in his head.

"You hold still now! It's almost over!" she commanded.

He couldn't aim an attack at her. If he did, it'd just be sucked into the flower with the rest of his chi. He couldn't make a barrier around himself. If he tried, it would also disintegrate. He only had one choice left.

His hand twitched. Both of his arms felt as though they were filled with sand. Slowly he brought his hands up and tilted his kasa over his head. The hat sunk down over him until it had devoured him whole.

Yama-uba could not believe her eyes. Immediately, the flower stopped sapping his energy, as he was no longer anywhere to be found. She walked over to the rocking chair to examine the straw hat that had swallowed him up.

Chichiri reappeared silently behind her, and swiftly he bashed her over the head with his shakajou. She didn't have time to cry out in surprise when he slammed the golden head of the staff into the small of her back and she dropped the flower on the rug.

The snakes on her head bared their fangs and wiggled, itching to bite their attacker. Yama-uba slowly began to rose to her feet. Chichiri stepped gingerly around her, pointing his staff toward her. He just had to get to that flower...

Yama-uba reached out a craggy hand to grasp her flower. It still had so much life within. If she could keep it away from him...

His foot came down hard on the delicate petals of the white flower. He dug his heel in and crushed it into pieces. All the while, Yama-uba choked, gagged, and called out for help.

She began to gurgle and slumped over onto the floor. The glowing red light in her eye sockets burned out, and she laid motionless. The fire cast green light over her dead body.

The red chi of Suzaku, his and Tasuki's, and the additional energy contained within the bloom, flowed into his body.

Chichiri heaved a great sigh.

"That was close, no da," he said.

He walked to the door and tried it. It swung open, and he peeked his head outside. Though the house spun furiously from the outside, on the inside it remained perfectly still.

"Kourin-san, no da?" he called, not realizing that he was hanging onto the doorknob opposite his.

Nuriko screamed as the door flung outward, nearly losing his precarious hold on the doorknob. He glanced up at the sound of his name... well, the name he'd used in the imperial harem anyway.

"Chichiri-san! What are you doing? I'm here to rescue you, not have you rescue yourself!" He felt kind of stupid saying that when the monk probably still thought he was a female and because of the fact that, at the moment, he probably couldn't save himself, much less anyone else.

Chichiri put a hand over his eyes as if to shade them and looked every which way for Kourin. She sounded like she was just on the other side of the door. He peeked his head around to see her hanging onto the doorknob for dear life. He sweat dropped.

"Jump, Chichiri-san! I'll catch you once I'm on the ground!" He grit his teeth and let go of the knob, flying backwards towards a nearby tree with a shout.

She shouted at him to jump, and he tilted his head in response. She let go of the doorknob and was sent flying backward. In a flash, he'd disappeared. In the next second, he'd reappeared behind her and caught her, but the force of her momentum sent them both tumbling backward into the tree with slightly less speed.

"Ouch, no da," he winced, "Be careful, no da," he murmured sullenly.

Tangled up with Kourin, he began to notice something. Kourin was missing a few vital pieces of feminine anatomy. He'd thought that she looked different in their brief reunion and subsequent miko-toss, but this definitely confirmed it.

He slowly got to his feet while rubbing the back of his head and muttering a few more exclamations of pain under his breath. When he had finished sulking, he reached out a hand to his fellow seishi.

"Thanks, no da. You really saved me, no da," his mask smiled ever-brightly.

Nuriko coughed and silently cursed at the pain as their appendages seemed to tangle up as they hit the ground with a thud. He realized that his 'Kourin' cover had finally been blown. He blushed, a thin rosy coloring flowing across his cheeks as the monk reached down with his hand to help him get to his feet.

Houjun-san was really Chichiri, a Suzaku seishi, just like him! Well, it would fit considering his rank and stature not to mention Hou- er, Chichiri's wisdom and magical abilities. Smiling, Nuriko nodded very much like a child would.

"Chichiri-san, you can call me by my seishi name as well; Nuriko. I guess my cover's been blown!" he grinned as he revealed the faint glowing symbol that had hidden itself behind his upper garments.

Glancing back towards the direction of Ma's house, Nuriko smiled roughly. "I guess we better go back to Ma's to see how Tasuki and the miko are fairing."

"Good idea, no da," Chichiri said.

They began their walk back through the woods.

"You sure have a weird hobby, no da," he quipped.

Nuriko quirked a brow, "Weird hobby? What hobby?"

"Cross-dressing, na no da."

Nuriko had the decency to blush, but kept his mouth shut and bowed his head. He moved along the path that seemed to have grown familiar, quietly flicking glances at Chichiri to try and gauge his level of disgust.

Chichiri tilted his head when Nuriko said nothing in response. It was time to change the subject.

"With you, Mitsukake, Hotohori-sama, the two back at the house, and me, we have all but one seishi, no da. Once Miaka-sama and Tasuki are taken care of, I'll take us all back to the palace, no da."

Nuriko looked up from his intent survey of the path, surprised by the abrupt change in conversation. "We have six of the seven seishi already? Wait, who is Hotohori-sama and why does he or she get an honorific like that?"

Chichiri turned his smiling face to Nuriko, "Yes, no da. You should know him since you were part of his harem, no da. Hotohori-sama is the Emperor of Konan, no da. I'm sure he's very worried about Miaka-sama, no da."

Nuriko stopped mid-stride. "The Emperor?! Oh no! That's terrible! Don't tell him I'm not female. I really don't want to be beheaded. I like my head just where it is!"

Chichiri stopped along with Nuriko. A giant sweat drop slid down the side of his head.

"Hotohori-sama is..." he trailed off, visions of Hotohori in dresses and lipstick floating in front of his mind's eye, "He wouldn't do that, no da. He has some weird hobbies himself, no da. Besides, you're a Suzaku seishi, no da. There's no way he'd harm you, na no da."

Nuriko sighed in relief, physically slumping. "That's a relief, I don't want to serve my purpose to Miaka and then turn around and get murdered for... a promise I made." He shook his head and smiled.

"What was that thing that possessed Tasuki? I've never heard of an ecchi demon woman who changes her shape and kisses unsuspecting guys in the woods."

They started walking again. A considerable number of smaller sweat drops joined the one that already adorned Chichiri's head.

"Anou… I don't know about kissing guys in the woods, but she was a demon-witch, no da. She lived off of the chi or life force of living beings, no da. She was a very powerful sorceress and potions-master, no da. Tasuki was unlucky to run into her, no da."

Nuriko thought about that for a moment, then opened his mouth to comment. "She must have bargained with him for something. She said she'd give me something before she bit me. Tasuki has some seriously sharp fangs. If I didn't know that Tasuki didn't have control of his body, I'd have taken his head off."

Chichiri tapped a finger on his chin in thought. "Did she give you anything, no da?"

Nuriko winced and looked away, "Sort of."

Chichiri noticed Nuriko's discomfort, but if that witch had given him something dangerous...

"What did she give you, no da?"

"A kiss and before you say anything, I didn't ask her for it."

"Hmm…" Chichiri let that information sink in slowly, "She probably used that to drain your energy, no da. If you're worried, I can check you out when we get back to the house, no da. Looks like you all need to learn not to kiss witch-demons, no da," he said lightheartedly.

The monk watched his fellow seishi from the corner of his eye. Nuriko could probably use some training in recognizing a possessed person. That didn't come as much of a surprise, being that he'd grown up in the sheltered environment of Hotohori-sama's harem. The sweat drops just wouldn't stop forming.

"I'll make sure you're all right when we—" he looked up to see the house where he'd left Miaka not more than a few hundred feet in the distance, "Once we're inside, no da."

"I'll have to teach all of you something about recognizing demons, no da," he said cheerfully.

Nuriko's blush darkened and he muttered something about not being able to tell when someone was acting under his breath. He strode up to the door and knocked as gently as he could, not wanting to break the door down. "Ma! We're back!"

***

Ma heard the commotion in the living room and poked her head out of the kitchen. "Everything ok- by Suzaku's balls! Girl what are you doing flashing your shoulder around in view of anyone who could pass by!"

The knocking at the door turned her attention away from her rant and she cocked her head in question.

She turned back to Miaka and Ji-hime, "You, girl, come to my room and I'll bandage you up; Ji, answer the door."

A dangerous glare flashed across Miboshi's face as Ma ordered her around again. This woman needed a good dose of death. That always had a way of showing people who has ultimate authority. However, she did as she was told and opened the door. In walked Nuriko and the smiling monk. Neither of them looked particularly possessed or dead.

Her mood had turned permanently sour, but she smiled politely at their return.

"We're back, no da. Thank you for your hospitality, no da," Chichiri bowed his head to Tasuki's mom.

Ma grabbed her future daughter-in-law-if she had anything to say about it and drug her into her bedroom. Closing the door, she turned to Miaka and pushed her back to sit on the edge of the bed. "Sit girl, and let me have a look at that shoulder." She didn't wait for Miaka to answer or comply, she just pushed her down, shoved her head to the side, and peeled back the torn material as gently as she could.

"Looks nasty, what happened? Some kind of run in with an animal?"

Miaka watched as the woman peeled the fabric from her wound. "Sort of."

Ma Kou bustled around the room lifting different herbs from sachets to her nose and smelling them before shaking her head and moving on to the next one until she found the ones she was looking for. She ground together several dried herbs and made a poultice for the wound, then reached under her bed for the alcohol she used to cleanse wounds… only to find it missing.

She grumbled under her breath and glared at Miaka. "First thing you teach Shun'u is to leave alcohol alone, you understand girl? That boy is going to drink himself to death one of these days," she stalked out of the room and slammed the door.

A roar was heard followed by a happy sounding, yet quite drunken voice and Ma stormed back in with a nearly empty bottle of sake clutched in one hand. "Useless git! Always tippin' back the sake and loafing about with those lowlife scum he calls bandits!" she growled as she poured the last of the sake over Miaka's shoulder then bandaged it. "You better straighten him out, my girl, he'll be nothing but trouble if you don't."

Miaka just nodded, not daring to ask who 'Shun'u' was or why it was up to her to make him quit drinking. After the woman returned and continued her tirade, it began to make sense. _Bandit._ The woman was talking about her son... Genrou.

_Why does he have s__o many names? Genrou, Tasuki, Shun'u._

She frowned and looked over the freshly cleaned wound, then at Ma as she wrapped bandage around her shoulder. This lady would make a terrifying mother-in-law for any potential bride of Gen-chan's.

Miaka wanted to please the woman, even if she was mistaken about Miaka and Genrou being anything close to a couple. She would have to make sure that Genrou stopped drinking. Maybe instead of returning to the mountain, she could get the Emperor to let him stay on the Imperial grounds and do some sort of job there. Maybe as a personal bodyguard! Certainly Shun'u's mom would be proud of that!

With her wounds cleaned and bandaged, Miaka stood and gave Genrou's mother a tight hug. "Thank you for the bandages and all the hard work you put into treating my wound," she paused and let go of the woman, "I will try my best to get Genrou to straighten up his act."

***

Chichiri locked eyes with the young Seiryuu seishi as he walked in the door. Her expression was one of polite acknowledgement, but he thought he might be able to detect a bit of weariness amongst the honey-gold.

"Da! I forgot to introduce myself, no da. My name is Chichiri, no da," he said to the girl.

"I am Zhen Ji, daughter of Zhen Xi," she responded.

Chichiri's head jerked back slightly in surprise, "Pleased to meet you princess, no da," he said, bowing low.

Ji tilted her chin up slightly and looked down at him.

"Pleased to meet you as well," she said coolly.

He rose back to his full height and peered over the girl's shoulder and down the hallway. There stood the man with the greenish-blue hair. He tapped his chin, trying to recall where he had seen him before. He seemed to give up on this as he lowered his hand.

"I'd like to speak with you all, but we should probably get some rest for now, no da," he told them, "I can explain everything in the morning, no da."

Nuriko nodded his agreement to the idea as he made his way towards one of the remaining spare rooms, grabbing a fistful of blankets to prepare the extra bed.

Poking his head out, he grinned at Chichiri-san. "I've got an extra bed made for you, Ho-Chichiri-san."

Down the hallway, he distinctly heard Tasuki, obviously not very sober, and the loud sound of two people fighting before he could make out Ma scolding her baby. Smiling inwardly, Nuriko grabbed a monstrous pile of blankets and headed for the living room.

Tamahome watched the exchange between his princess and the monk and let his mind wander as to when exactly he had started to think of Ji-hime as 'his'. Tamahome was silent, lost in thought as he wandered toward a room. He realized halfway there, perhaps because Nuriko mentioned having an 'extra room,' that he didn't really have a particular place he was staying.

"Um…" he headed back to where Nuriko was standing, "Did I get assigned a room too?" Tamahome asked a little sheepishly. He took stock of the number of rooms and the number of guests. They definitely didn't have enough space to house them all separately. "Or, rather, where have Chuei and Yuiren been sleeping?"

Nuriko smiled. "You can take whatever room you'd like."

Tamahome assumed they were being kept together and he was used to sharing a room with them, all of them. He mentally winced at the memory, but he didn't have time to dwell on it too long. Even though his body screamed for sleep, a loud groan in his stomach voiced the hunger pains that suddenly struck him. Damn, he had forgotten to eat anything all day. He smiled uncomfortably at the others, in embarrassment.

"Does anyone else need dinner first?"

It was like sonar when Miaka heard these words... oh **precious** words...

Miaka stood up and bowed to Genrou's Ma before going out into the hallway with a big smile. "I would LOVE dinner! I'm starving!" She could feel saliva pooling in her mouth and gulped eagerly.

Tasuki frowned. His Ma had taken his sake away and slammed the door. He wanted to get it back. He got to his feet and staggered to the door, the room tilting around him and making him lose his footing at times.

He got the door open with much trouble; _someone_ kept moving the knob around on him and he cursed at it several times before he finally caught it.

Tasuki staggered out of the room, shirt off, boots unbuttoned, and a few of his belongings trailing after him as he slid along the hallway wall. He could hear people talking and grinned; he loved people, they were so fun to talk to.

"Weeeelllllll M-cha's sleepin' wiff meh t'nigh, Maa say so," he called drunkenly from the doorway as he listened to Nuriko and Tamahome talk, "Th'ki's wash shleepin' imm m'rooooom when I wash shick." The wall moved and he fell to the floor. "Shtupid walllsss movin' om me."

Miaka's blushed a bright red and looked past the very talkative, drunken Genrou. She had wanted to ask him about his new name, but this wasn't the time for it. Instead, she took a seat on the floor by Sou's younger siblings and took Yuiren into her lap.

"Hello!" Miaka greeted Yuiren, then looked over at Chuei and smiled. "You look so much like your big brother! I'm Miaka."

Miaka tickled at the little girl's sides and laughed herself, trying to get the kids to ignore Genrou's drunken stupor as well.

Settling in beside Miaka, Nuriko smiled as the miko spoke with the children. With just Miaka's presence even Chibi Sou looked healthier. Aidou and Ma set to dinner duty, chatting freely. Nuriko also ignored the drunken bandit and turned to Miaka, interested on catching up on all the details since they had split up into two groups.

"Oi, Mi-chan!" he smiled as he eyed his miko with a playful demeanor, "Bandit-chan had better have been treating you well while I couldn't watch over you. Otherwise Kouji is definitely getting a personal one-on-one butt kicking session with me."

The priestess shifted awkwardly. She was already getting tired of getting asked about Kouji, and this was only the second person to mention him. She felt guilty. Kouji was in love with her and that's why he'd put himself in danger to bring her back to the palace safely. But Kouji was unable to protect her, she didn't love him back, and now he might be dead as a result.

"Uh, Kouji is fine..." She only paused for a second, wondering how to explain, but then decided to get out of the room instead. "Wow! I'm really tired! I think I'll just go to bed and eat some leftovers in the morning." She set little Yuiren by her brother. "Goodnight you two!" she said to the children, giving them each a hug and a kiss on the forehead before standing up and walking toward what she'd been told would be her room.

"G'night everyone!" she said with a wave as she passed Genrou by and entered the bedroom. With a heavy sigh she swung the door closed.

_Genrou will probably be out there for a little while longer. At least if he's drunk he probably won't be asking about Kouji-kun.._

Miaka sat on the side of the bed and rested her face in her palm. _I don't know how long I can do this. I don't want to feel guilty about Kouji anymore, but I know everyone is going to ask me about him._

Tamahome stepped past the drunken Tasuki into the kitchen. He didn't want this day to go on any longer, and his stomach was screaming at him. _Let the idiot be drunk and annoying with Nuriko._

Miaka had left the room in a hurry but her she was very kind with his two children (which was pretty much what they were now) before she'd left. He smiled to himself as he searched for food.

She seemed pretty nice. Not that he had expected the priestess to be a raging lunatic, but it was good to know that she was a good person. His mind turned to Tasuki, most likely because of the loud noises he could still hear coming from the hall. He had originally felt terrible having to let him down like that, but now it seemed Tasuki had become an ass again within a span of a few minutes. He didn't like the idea of Miaka sleeping in the same room as he was tonight. Drunken men and timid girls didn't ever lead to positive endings. Tamahome grabbed some bread and realized he had company.

"Oh, Chichiri-san," he greeted the monk who had joined him in the kitchen. Ji-hime was with him as well. "Ji-hime." Tamahome set the bread on the table. "It's really all I could find that doesn't need to be cooked. I'm not the greatest chef."

Tamahome broke off a bit of the bread and wrapped it in a napkin to bring to Miaka later. The girl was probably hungry and she had looked troubled. It shouldn't concern him. He had his siblings to think about, who had joined them all in the kitchen. He hugged them both for a long while before he went back to helping in a non-cooking capacity.

Ma and Aidou finished getting everyone's beds ready. Most of them would be sleeping in the large front room since most of them were men.

Ma bustled into the kitchen and found that everyone had helped themselves to the fresh bread she's made to go along with dinner and frowned. "I can see that you are all hungry, but why didn't you just take the boar out of the oven in the next room? It should be ready by now and so should the vegetable won-ton's I made." She turned to Aidou, "Go bring the platters in here while I set these scavengers to work."

She ordered everyone to get up and clean the bread crumbs from the table, then set each one at a seperate task. Tamahome and Ji-hime were to set out the dishes and some glasses, Chichiri was to bring a bottle of table wine up from the cellar and uncork it, Nuriko was set to dragging in the extra chairs from the barn, while the chibi's set about putting napkins on the table next to each plate as they were set down.

She watched with a nod of approval as everyone did as they were told, "I've got the sleeping arrangements settled. Miaka and Shun'u will be sharing a room since they're a couple, and Ji-hime will be sleeping in the same room she did the night before. The children will sleep with their brother and the men in the living room. Does that satisfy everyone? I'm afraid that this is all I can offer."

The longer Tasuki sat there watching as the others moved into the kitchen, the faster the sake was wearing off. That was the one thing he hated about his speed; it speeded up his body as well, causing him to have to drink almost continually in order to stay drunk.

Tasuki watched Miaka walk out of the kitchen, past him, and frowned. It seemed it was a good thing he was starting to sober up; there was something wrong with Miaka and ten to one odds had the reason having to do with Kouji. She seemed to freeze up and her smile was strained whenever he was mentioned.

He ignored the other people in the kitchen and got slowly to his feet. He may not be as drunk as when he'd first come out of his room, but he was still a bit tipsy. He followed Miaka back to his room and allowed her to close the door, but he cracked it open enough to see inside.

She sat on the edge of his bed looking as if her world had just caved in on her and it made his heart clench. Her tears and pain had always seemed to have that affect on him, and he couldn't stand to see her hurt any longer.

He pushed open the door and moved to kneel at her feet. Tasuki cupped her jaw and raised her eyes to his, "Tell me. I can see that it's tearing you apart. Tell me, Miaka."

With the less than sober Genrou in front of her, dropped accent and dropped to his knees at her feet, she took to quickly removing any trace of salty upset from under her eyes.

Miaka looked into his concerned eyes and forced a smile. "Am I that obvious?" she asked with a soft laugh. "I'm fine, just really tired... It's been a long day and my body hurts. I just want to get back to my brother. He must be worried about me."

His eyes scanned her face for an answer to the question she refused to answer. Those golden eyes of his made her heart thump again. She recognized the feeling, but tried to deny it to herself.

Miaka set her hand on top of the one he'd placed on her cheek and slid it off. Her eyes now stayed on his and she sat silently, hoping he would let it go. But a drunken Genrou was a stubborn Genrou.

"Don't give me that bullshit, Miaka. You forget how deeply my connection to you runs. Tell me or I'm gonna have to make you talk," he frowned and cupped her face in his hands, "Now tell me, damnit."

He stared into her face, refusing to let her change the subject.

"I'm fine! Why don't you belive me!?!"

Tasuki frowned again, "I don't believe ya because you are still crying," he gripped her face again and pulled her down into his lap.

"Mi-chan, ya know it kills me when ya cry. Just tell me what's botherin' ya so I can go kick its ass an' make ya smile again" he continued in a softer voice.

Miaka didn't know what to do. She couldn't just tell him that his bandit buddy might be dead because of her. She leaned her head against his chest and took a few short and painful breaths, her eyes glued to the floor. "I don't know what's wrong..." she said softly.

He hugged her to his chest, laying his head against the top of hers, "Sure ya do, Mi-chan. It's somethin' t'do with Kouji an' I wanna know what. If he hurt ya I'll kill 'im. I told him t'treat ya better'n some common girl. I told 'im that yer special, an' needed special love an' attention. Tell me if'n he hurt ya or at least where th' hell he is so's I can kick his scrawney little ass," he murmered against her hair. The effects of the sake were still apparent in him, but he was too worried for his miko to worry about how drunk he was.

She came first.

Miaka pulled away from Genrou with tears down her cheeks and looked directly at him. So she couldn't avoid this conversation after all. "I don't know where he is. Chichiri said that he saved him but… I haven't seen him since then. I'm sorry, it's all my fault," she said softly.

He cupped her cheek with one hand while holding her tightly with the other. "It ain't yer fault." Tasuki was unsure of what to make of all that information. Kouji had obviously failed in some capacity to keep Miaka safe and may have died trying to fix his mistake. There was obviously more to the story than she was letting on, but he didn't want to push her further.

With her lashes heavy with dew, she looked beautiful. Maybe it was the sake, but had she always been this pretty? Something stirred inside of him, but he couldn't name it. He closed his eyes and kissed her forehead, then let his lips trail down the side of her face.

"Mi-chan, I'm sorry I left you alone," he whispered against her cheek.

Miaka's heart started to race as Genrou pulled her close and kissed her forhead and kept his lips close. They brushed down her cheek, feeling as soft as rose petals. She closed her eyes, her cheeks flushed pink with nervousness. She swallowed loudly. What was going on with Genrou? Then she smelled the sake on his breath and remembered that he wasn't thinking straight.

"I should be going to bed," she tried to return the cheer to her voice, almost as if to wake him up from whatever it was he was thinking.

Tasuki frowned, "No, I ain't done comfortin' ya yet." he whispered then pressed his lips to hers, holding her close and kissing her gently, chastely, but kissing her all the same.

Miaka's eyes widened with surprise as the red-head pressed his lips to hers. Her mind was screaming with explainations but her heart felt warm and full for the first time since she'd come to this world. She pushed him back and looked his face over, studying it for an answer as to what was going on.

"I thought you didn't like girls," she whispered, her heart racing.

Tasuki looked into her eyes and smiled slightly, "Yer not just any girl, Mi-chan," and leaned in to kiss her again, holding her tight to him and not allowing her to escape.

Was this for real!?! Did she fall asleep and dream all of this up? His body was so warm, his lips soft yet forcefully bound to her own. She let her weak eyelids rest closed.

***

Orders were given and Tamahome went about doing what he was told, trying to ease the discomfort he felt in his gut. About halfway through the glasses, he couldn't ignore it any longer.

A young girl shouldn't be put together with a guy she wasn't seeing, if that was even ok, let alone a drunk one who would be able to overpower her on a whim.

He told Ji-hime he would be right back and sneaked away from the table to go to Miaka's room.

"Miaka?" Tamahome knocked on the wooden door to announce himself as he pushed it open. When the door swung open he simultaneously wished he had not come and that he had not waited so long before coming to check on her.

Tamahome settled on the first reaction that came to mind without even trying to get an explanation. "Get away from her!" he grabbed Tasuki's shoulders and tore him away.

Tasuki growled low. "Did she look like she was strugglin'? I wasn't doin' nothin' t'hurt her, I was comfortin' her after her ordeal with that baka yaro of a bandit I call friend," he swung his fist at Tamahome, knowing he was still too drunk to actually fight.

Miaka realized that the kiss had been exactly what she'd wanted all this time. And with that realization came the sad understanding that Genrou had only kissed her because he was drunk. He didn't feel anything more for her. She pushed her feelings down and tried to stop the fight.

"Gen-chan just drank too much. He didn't know what he was doing."

Tamahome ducked easily away from the drunken punch. "So I guess taking advantage of a girl is okay if you're drunk enough."

Tasuki frowned and swung again, pissed that he'd missed in the first place. "You shut up, asshole!"

Tamahome side stepped the swing and grabbed Tasuki's passing fist, shoving it down roughly. "I guess that's a perfectly normal way of making some one feel better where you come from, Bandit!"

Tasuki teetered and nearly fell over when Tamahome shoved his fist down, "I wasn't forcin' nothin' on her! Did ya see her fightin' me off? She was fine an' I was about t'pull back when ya charged in an' ruined things! Baka oni, rushin' in when ya ain't got no business doin' it!" he spun and swept his leg at Tamahome's feet, hoping to knock him down.

"Stop trying to HIT me!" Tamahome'd had enough of this. His fist came forward before he remembered to hold it back.

Miaka gasped. She didn't like where this was heading.

A staff came down squarely in front of Tasuki's kick. A soft palm caught Tamahome's punch. Chichiri spared a glance at the both of them, before sweeping his staff off the ground. He shoved the bottom of the staff into Tamahome's stomach, and slammed the golden top into Tasuki's forehead.

"What do you think you're doing, no da?" he asked with barely contained anger.

Tasuki fell back as the staff knocked him in the head, he sat up and rubbed his aching forehead. "What th' hell was that shit for? Who th' hell are ya any... wait, yer that baka from th' woods! Th' one that bitch took instead a me. Aw shit, does that mean yer possessed too?"

Tamahome bit back a wince of pain. He wasn't expecting a staff to the stomach even after the monk had stopped his punch. "I'm trying to stop this drunken idiot from forcing himself on our Miko." He spurted out at the same time Tasuki demanded to know if Chichiri was possessed.

Miaka listened to the three of them and her brow became furrowed, trying to sort it all out.

_Our miko?_

"Be quiet! You're both Suzaku seishi, no da. You shouldn't be fighting like this, and in front of Miaka-sama, no da!" Chichiri rose to his full height and slammed his staff into the ground to accentuate his point.

He turned to Miaka and smiled gently.

"Miaka-sama, I think it'd be best if you stayed with the other women tonight, no da. I'm sure if you ask Mrs. Kou, she'll oblige, no da," he said kindly.

Suddenly Tamahome remembered that the reason why he was fighting Tasuki was in the room with them still. This was some way to introduce himself as one of her protectors. He stood with his head down looking like a child that just got yelled at.

Tasuki stared at the monk for a moment, unsure if he was insane or just was able to flip from one emotion to the next without warning. "Er... uh..." he cleared his throat and got to his feet. "Nah, no reason she's gotta sleep on th' floor. She's _my_ miko too. I'm goin' to th' barn t'sleep. More room an' all, ya know."

He stalked out. He could tell that his say in this discussion was over; he was the one to blame again because he couldn't figure out how to comfort a girl that he cared for.

Tamahome cast a sideways glance at Tasuki. He was planning on running away to the barn again.

With the argument temporarily solved, Chichiri sighed.

"I'll talk to you all in the morning, no da. We have a lot to discuss, no da. For now, get some rest, no da."

Miaka sat on the side of the bed and sighed heavily, wondering if what the monk said was true. Sou was a seishi? And how would this monk know... was he a seishi too?!?

Tamahome lingered in the room a short while. He turned to Miaka, "I guess it's not the most pleasant of situations for our reintroductions, but you can call me Tamahome if you want to."

Miaka looked up at him and smiled with a tilt of her head. "Could have been much worse, Tama-hoe-may," she repeated slowly. "What does it mean?"

"It marks me as one of Suzaku's constellations, your protector." It sounded ridiculous after the little display of fools that had just gone on in front of her, but it was true, and he planned on fulfilling his duty as best he could.

Miaka smiled, remembering the story from the book as he talked about it. She glanced over at the monk and nodded. She knew he wasn't going to leave Tamahome and Miaka alone in the room, probably for fear of recent history repeating itself. "It's nice meeting you Tama-hoe-may…" she sounded his name out again and smiled, "...again. I suppose Mr. Foxface is right, though. I need some rest."

Chichiri sweatdropped, "Foxface, no da?"

Tamahome nodded and left the room. As he passed Chichiri he stopped. "I'm sorry," he said before moving past him to the hallway.

Chichiri bid Miaka goodnight as well and followed Tamahome out of the room.

Though he could not see it, Chichiri's expression had softened at Tamahome's apology. He had known from what he could pick up of the situation that it wasn't really his fault, but he had to keep from playing sides. It was good that he had introduced himself to Suzaku no Miko, and now he knew that they would only need to search for Chiriko before they could summon Suzaku, save Konan, and send Miaka-sama back to her world.

For now, though, tonight was still ahead of him, and it was fixing to be a very long night. He bid Nuriko and the other women goodnight, and then stepped out of the house to get some fresh air. He'd have to keep an all-night vigil to make sure no one tried to harm Miaka-sama, and that none of his fellow seishi got themselves into anymore trouble.

He spied the small pond in the yard and decided it was a good time to relax. Plopping down on the soft grass, he plunked a fishing line that appeared out of nowhere into the water, and slowly released the tension from his muscles.

***

Miaka looked around the empty room and fell back onto Genrou's bed. She pulled her knees up to her chest and slipped her feet under the blankets, then let them down under the sheets.

A few tugs on the top of the blanket and Miaka was settled in. She turned her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. She could smell Genrou in the fibers of the pillow.

_Could that kiss have meant any more to Genrou than just trying to make me feel better?_ _No. __Don't be stupid Miaka, he was drunk and he even told Tamahome that it was only to comfort me!_

_I just have to hold on a little longer until I can go back to my world and forget all about Gen-chan._

Her mind raced with thoughts of how she was going to get back to the palace and what she was going to tell her brother about everything that had happened. Eventually, the aching pain in her body caught up with her. She yawned with an enormous stretch of her jaw.

***

Petty fighting. Jealousies. Stupidity after stupidity. They were playing out all of mankind's disgusting little scenarios one after the other. She had to squelch the desire to slit their throats, and remind herself that she still had to find a way to get what she wanted out of one of the other world's girls.

When Sou came back to retrieve his little monsters for the night, Ji rushed to his side.

"Is everything all right?" she asked, looking up at him worriedly. Once Tamahome had reassured her, he escorted her to the room she shared with Aidou. After brushing her hair, Miboshi looked outside, studying the black tree limbs against the night sky.

_Watch the girl. If she moves at all, I want to know about it._

That taken care of, she laid her head down to rest.

***

Tasuki left the house as fast as his injured and still slightly drunk body would allow. He couldn't believe that he'd allowed himself to be drawn into a fight with Tamahome over a stupid kiss. A kiss that he wanted to forget and yet remember all at the same time. He had no clue what had possessed him, other than sake, to have tried to kiss her; he didn't like women but he'd kissed her anyway. His drink hazed mind had recalled what Kouji had done to calm sad females that had been visitors to their mountain, and he assumed that to be the reason he had tried to employ the same to calm his miko.

Now he understood why everyone always called him an idiot; he was one. He always seemed to do the wrong things and made situations worse rather than making them better as he set out to do.

Once more he climbed the rope to his hiding place in the loft, ignoring his aching muscles and reopening wounds in favor of escape. He knew it was stupid to feel as if he had to hide, but he couldn't help it. He felt that he'd made a complete fool of himself both with his half confession to Sou and the interrupted kiss he'd taken from Miaka.

Tasuki lay sprawled out on the loft floor, arms crossed over his face, thinking about what he could have done differently. Not telling Tamahome that he was running from him would have been a good start, not letting that baka monk take his place when the demon woman was taking him to the woods to kill him would have been even better.

He growled and sat up, pissed that no matter what he tried to do he always managed to screw it up somehow. He couldn't even get himself killed properly! How was he supposed to protect Miaka if he couldn't do anything right?! He reached for his boot, fumbling inside to drag out his journal and vent for a few minutes when he found it was missing. He tried to think of where it could be since the last place he'd had it was the exact spot he was in! He looked at his boot more closely and noted that the buttons had come undone.

_Oh shit, no tellin' who's got that damned book now! Fuckin' sake! I ain't drinkin' again 'less I got a damn good reason an' I got all my tools an' stuff put away! Fuck, I gotta go look for it now... I don't want no one to read... what's in it._

Miaka was fighting a nightmare that she could understand. A bird and a dragon were engaged in battle and it made her heart hurt. Her eyes opened and she was greeted only to darkness. She'd been asleep long enough for the sun to completely descend and cover them with a blanket of darkness. She slowly slipped free of her covers and crept over to the window in her bedroom. She unlocked the window and slid it open before leaning out and examining the distance she would have to endure if she jumped out to do a little exploring. It wasn't much of a drop, she had to admit, she'd fallen further. Her concern wasn't the fall, it was the noise she might create in doing so.

_Front door it is._

Miaka slid the window closed but left it unlocked this time. She slipped across the room and set her hand on the doorknob, careful not to make any noise. She wrapped her fingers around it and slowly turned. It emitted a high pitched squeak, but it was soft, so Miaka continued turning - only she slowed down a little. She pulled the door open and her face contorted with each low and high pitched squeak that roared from the hinges on the door.

She tip-toed her way thought the living room and saw the silhouettes of Sou and the children on the floor. None were moving so that was a good sign for her.

Miaka stopped walking when her last step made the floor squeak. She took a slow deep breath and continued to sneak to the front door, where she when through the same dramatic steps to open it and escape outside. She closed the front door behind her and looked around at the surrounding area before taking off hurridly toward the trees so she would be out of the clearing.

_I just need to get some fresh air. Then maybe everything that happened today will make sense._

Tamahome was lying awake in his bedroll. He was watching Yuiren and Chuei as they slept. His mind wouldn't stop racing. The last time he had fallen asleep next to them was the last time he saw Gyokuran and Shunkei.

They looked peaceful in the dim moonlight that filtered through the windows. His arm was getting better and Chuei's wounds were almost entirely healed. Listening to the quiet of the house, it almost felt like this was meant to have happened; as if this was a house of healing everyone eventually visited where pain, physical or otherwise, could be revealed and healed.

He sighed and shifted position, getting comfortable again on the thin pillow. Tasuki was a strange boy. When he first met him Tamahome had owed him gratitude. A day or so later he seemed like an honest man with a good sense of humor and loyalty. But now... He was acting like a 5 year old. He mentally shrugged off the thought. It wasn't like they had known each other for long enough to say that he was behaving unusually. Maybe the first show of kindness was the strange bit.

He had just closed his eyes, trying for a 5th time to sleep, when a fairly loud creaking groaned from the floorboards above his head. His mind stopped its random wanderings and his eyes drifted open. There was a moment of tense silence followed by soft padding of socked feet and the latch on the door. He sat up in time to see the silhouette of Miaka slip past the door.

He shook his head and got up out of the bed. What was with these people and running away? He supposed that if she needed to be alone he would let her, but he couldn't just leave her out in the woods by herself at night. Tamahome slipped past the door a few seconds after her, following just close enough to rush in if need be, but far enough away to give her the sense of solitude.

Miaka wandered through the trees, looking up at their branches and searching out the moonlight that peeked through. She was hoping for something magical to happen to her that would make everything all right. When she reached the small clearing of flowers, where the moonlight finally broke through, she knelt down amongst the folded petals.

"Now where's my answer, Mr. Moon?"

Tamahome slunk through the trees after her. He didn't have to worry about being too quiet, but he did worry about other things in the woods that might see her as an easy target. The night was calm so far, but he kept his eyes roaming around the trees in search of anything that might make Miaka a snack.

He was content with just letting her be alone if she needed to be, but it was becoming more apparent that Miaka was shouldering a heavy burden on her own. He wanted to help her desperately.

"Miaka," he called to her as he entered the clearing, "You're leaving without saying goodbye?" He knelt down beside her, holding on to her arm gently just in case she decided to make a dash for it. "Tasuki and Nuriko would be heart broken." He paused a second and smiled at her. "I wouldn't want you to go either."

She blushed. Had he heard her talking? "You hardly know me. Why would you care if I go?" She looked down at his hand on her arm and then out at the woods. "We just met, after all."

Tamahome let out a small laugh and shook his head. That was true, and ironically enough it had been _his_ answer to Tasuki as well, but he still spoke true.

He smiled again at Miaka and let his hand fall from her arm "We might have just met, but I've been born waiting for you."

Having just recently accepted this truth in his heart, Tamahome was certain he didn't want to gloss it over any more. The character on his forehead marked him as part of a brotherhood, he had liked the way Tasuki had put it, and they were all awaiting the moment for their destiny to be fulfilled.

Bowing his head he took hold of her hand.

"Miaka, we have _all_ been waiting to follow you. If you leave now, everything would have been in vain." Pleading gray-blue eyes looked up to her. "Please. Stay."

"Don't bow to me. I'm just an ordinary middle school student and not even a _good_ one at that! But I'm not going anywhere. I have to find Yui-chan and save Konan, after all. I already made a promise to someone that I would do so."

He gazed up at her, a smile brightening his face. He nodded, "Thank you."

It was simple and it said everything he needed to. Tamahome stood up, a few pine needles and leaves still clung to his knees. He held out a hand to help Miaka up.

"Let's go back before anyone else wakes up." She had wanted an answer. Was Tamahome it? He had nothing to do with her dream that she knew of and he couldn't explain Genrou's strange behaviour, but he had made her feel better just by being at her side.

Miaka looked at Tamahome and smiled softly, as if the two of them were sharing a secret joke. She set her hand in his and stood up.

Tamahome hadn't expected a girl who was good enough for a god to feel uncomfortable being bowed to. His smile widened as one word resounded in him, 'right.' Finally accepting what he was felt like not only a weight lifting from his shoulders but a warm hand on his heart. He made a mental note to thank the idiot who helped him see it and a quiet laugh bubbled to his lips.

Miaka walked beside him back towards the house. "What's so funny?" she asked him, tilting her head.

"Er, nothing." He tried to regain his composure, taking her hand and leading her out of the woods with him.

Miaka walked alongside Tamahome and stayed silent as the dead. Her head tilted forward enough so her bangs hung over her eyes. She didn't know what to say to him. After all, she hardly knew him and he cared enough about her that he didn't want her to leave. That meant something, _right?_

***

From the distance, Chichiri cocked his head at the sound of the front door creaking open. He watched the shadow of a young girl who could only be Suzaku no Miko flee into the woods. He sighed and drew his line out of the water when Tamahome emerged and chased after her.

The monk squinted into the darkness until he lost sight of him. Maybe it would be best to let him handle this. If he could forge a bond with her then she might be more inclined to continue the pilgrimage. Chichiri nodded to himself resolutely. He would trust Tamahome with this one.

So it was that Chichiri threw his line back into the small pond and closed his eyes. Drawn into a deep meditation, he honed in on Tamahome's chi to keep a spiritual 'eye' on the two of them.

Tasuki yawned as he wandered out of the barn and towards the house, it had been a really _long_ day and without the missing book he couldn't get a wink of sleep. As soon as he retrieved it he'd be able to sleep soundly.

He'd been about two steps out of the barn when he noticed a familiar scent on the wind then saw a flash of shadow pass into the woods not far from the pond at the other side of his mother's house. He quirked a brow and shrugged; maybe someone needed a midnight run before bed?

He snuck into the house, glad for both his skills as a bandit and for his knowlege of where all of the squeaky floor-boards were from his many ventures out to the local tavern when he was younger. He found his lock-pick tools as well as his journal laying haphazardly in the hallway and thanked Suzaku that they hadn't been found by anyone else.

As he slipped back through the living room, he noted that Tamahome was no longer on his pallet with his kids and assumed that he had been the one out for a jog in the woods. He shook his head and held back a laugh; some people were strange when it came to nightly habits, he supposed.

He'd barely stepped out the door when he noticed the blue haired guy that had bonked him with that stupid stick. He blushed in embarassment when he recalled exactly how he had acted and made his way over to the monk.

As Tasuki got closer, he could see that the blue-haired guy had his eyes closed... well, he _thought_ they were closed. He couldn't really tell by looking at the happy half moons that were the monk's eyes. He had to admit that he'd never met someone with eyes that squinty before and nearly laughed at the fact that he'd seen the man several times and had only just realized that he didn't have normal eyes. Looking closer, he noted that the monk's face was strangly fox-like as Miaka had mentioned before.

"Yo, kitsune, what're ya doin' at midnight fishin' in a lake that ain't got no fish? Ya gonna do some kinda weird monk thing t'make fish appear 'er somethin'? Ma ain't gonna be happy if'n ya bring fish in 'er house, ya know. She says they stink," he called out jovially. He was desperate to relax and get back to his normal self. He couldn't stand being the dolt he'd made himself out to be since he'd gotten here.

Maybe by hanging out with the monk-boy he could forget about the overly emotional person he had been morphing into lately. It had only begun when she showed up. He meandered over to the monk's side and grinned down at him. "Mind if'n I sit here fer a bit? I don't wanna go back t'bed yet an' I wanna apologize to ya fer bein' a baka earlier."

Chichiri's eyes eased open. He could easily give his attention to someone else and maintain a watch on Tamahome and Miaka.

"You're welcome to join me, no da," Chichiri responded, "You don't need to apologize to me, but you might want to apologize to Miaka-sama, no da."

There was a tug at his line, and Chichiri yanked his catch out of the water. Dangling off the hook was Tasuki's journal, pages fluttering in the wind. Strangely enough, it was completely dry.

Chichiri reached up a hand and removed the book from the line.

"Even with no fish, I seem to have caught something, no da," Chichiri smiled and waved the book in the air.

Tasuki's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at the _very_ familiar book dangling between the monk's fingers.

"H-hey!" he glanced down at his now empty hand then back at the journal Chichiri waved at him. "How'd ya do that? Gimme it back! Ya can't read that, damnit, it's private!" he made a lunge at the book, tripping over a large flat stone and landing flat on his face about a foot from Chichiri.

He glared up at the monk and made another grab for the book, not bothering to get to his feet. "Ya ain't gonna read it, are ya? Just give it back, kitsune-man"

Chichiri sweatdropped when Tasuki planted his face into the ground.

"My name's Chichiri, not 'kitsune', no da," Chichiri said indignantly as he held the book just out of reach.

Once that was established, he lowered the book so that Tasuki could take it back.

"Important book, no da?"

"Yer damned right 'important book', ya nosey kitsune! Important meanin' _**mine**_!" He snatched the book from Chichiri's fingers and tucked it into his shirt, glaring at the seemingly smiling monk.

Tasuki huffed and rolled off of his belly, sitting up and watching the monk from the corner of his eye. He seemed to constantly smile, his eyes were pretty much non-existant, he was fishing in an empty pond, and seemed to enjoy making Tasuki's heart drop to his toes with his tricks. "What's so fuckin' great that ya gotta keep smilin' like that for? It's kinda creepy lookin' at someone who always smiles, ya know? What would ya think if'n I were t'grin atcha all day long? Ya'd think I was drunk or plannin' somethin' really damned devious, that's what. So, whatcha grinnin' 'bout?" he asked with a cocked brow, not really looking at the monk. He was more focused on the water that stretched out before him, just how deep it was, and that he was really too close for comfort.

A cold night breeze skittered over the water. Chichiri watched the ripples roll toward him, distorting his moonlit reflection. Memories began to bubble up to the surface.

He reached up, cupped his mask, and pulled it away from his face. From Tasuki's vantage point, he could see the old scar over Chichiri's eye clearly. For his part, Chichiri could not see Tasuki's reaction. He closed his eye.

"This scar disturbs people, no da. I wear the mask to make them more comfortable, no da," he took in a deep breath, careful not to let go of his meditative state and sink into his past.

He turned his face toward his companion and smiled wistfully. "I guess it doesn't work for everyone."

Tasuki blushed in embarassment. He hadn't known that there was a terrible scar hiding under that ever-cheerful mask. Hell, he hadn't even known it was a mask!

"Er..." He ran a hand through his hair in a nervous guesture. "Well, shit. I'm sorry, kitsune, didn't know it was like that, ya know? Personally I don't think ya need'a hide behind that mask. I think ya look fine, but to each his own I guess."

He stood and grinned down at the monk, holding out a hand to help him up. "C'mon, let's go to th' barn an' relax fer a bit. It's damn cold out here fer late spring an' I got a bit of a fire goin' in th' barn loft. Yer welcome t'join me if'n ya ain't pissed over what I said 'bout yer mask."

Movement from the edge of the tree line caught his peripheral vision and he turned his head. Two shapes appeared out of the darkness and as they got closer, Tasuki could tell that it was two people.

He straightened and made to call out to them but the words of greeting died in his throat.

Miaka and Tamahome walked side by side, almost close enough that they could be mistaken for a single person. Tasuki turned his head, looking determinedly away from the sight of them together and forced a cheerful grin at Chichiri. "C'mon, kitsune, let's go chat by th' fire fer a bit."

A soft smile lit his face when Tasuki remarked that he need not hide his face. Few others had felt the same. His acceptance of the ugly mark kindled a gentle glow within the monk. Chichiri looked at his open palm and his smile grew fuller. Tasuki was rough around the edges, but it didn't take much digging to see the kind, sensitive man underneath.

Tasuki became distracted, and Chichiri stood. Two figures, who could only be Tamahome and Miaka, emerged from the darkness of the woods. He replaced his mask. He was relieved that Tamahome had managed to bring Suzaku no Miko back, but he could almost see Tasuki's heart dropping.

"Let's go, no da," he nodded, "And my name's Chichiri, no da."

Tasuki grinned and nodded, "Yeah, I know yer name it's just more fun t'call ya 'kitsune'. Ya make this cute little frowney face that makes me grin."

Moonlight flooded across the straw when Tasuki pushed open the barn doors. Chichiri climbed the ladder after him, and soon they sat together around the heat of a sparkling fire. He let his staff rest against the wall and held his hands over the flame.

Chichiri studied his companion's face in the flickering light. Was he in love with Suzaku no Miko? He didn't want to pry. People guarded their secrets jealously, and he was generally no exception, but if he was, it'd be best to warn him now, rather than see his heart broken when...

"How do you know Miaka-sama, no da?"

Tasuki stretched and kicked off his boots, tucking his journal back into its boot-pocket before shrugging out of his shirt and dragging a thin blanket from his pallet in the hay.

He paused in settling down beside the monk when he spoke, but grinned again. "Well, I kinda found 'er by accident. See, she was in Kutou an' well... I just couldn't leave her to herself in a strange an' dangerous place so I kinda offered t'bring her with me, ya know? She just kinda became my little sister. Why? Ya ain't lookin' t'take her away are ya?" he looked at Chichiri for a second then continued on. "Much as I think yer a nice guy an' all, ya ain't takin' Mi-chan nowheres without me. That little baka onna c'n get into some real rough shit, and I kinda promised her I'd make sure she was safe."

Chichiri smiled to himself. She'd been well protected before he ever arrived. He could be grateful for that.

"I plan on taking us all back to the palace tomorrow morning, no da. Hotohori-sama is waiting for us there and once we're all together, we'll only need to find Chiriko before we can call Suzaku, no da," Chichiri stared into the flames.

Something about that bothered him. It was far too easy for one. He never did find out who that Seiryuu beastman was working for, and he couldn't put his finger on the force that had disrupted his teleportation to the palace. Fortunately, it had landed him here in time to save Tasuki from the forest witch, but there was no telling what might happen next. He wondered if he was being paranoid.

The smell of damp hay permeated the air, but the fire held back the cold. Chichiri could see why Tasuki had chosen this place as his private hideout. His thoughts wandered to the tattered journal, to the fight he'd broken up, and to the look on Tasuki's face when he saw Miaka and Tamahome.

"Don't worry about Miaka-sama, no da. We'll all protect her, no da. Tamahome-kun went to retrieve her from her walk, and I was keeping an eye on them, no da."

Tasuki was floored. The palace? They'd let him into the _palace_? What the hell were they thinking? He was a _bandit_ for Suzaku's sake! He could steal them blind before they even knew what hit them, he wouldn't but still the option was there.

He was about to voice a smart-assed comment about the sanity of the palace people when Chichiri had to go and bring _him_ up.

Why the hell was that? Why did Tamahome and Miaka being together make him so mad? He'd gotten his answer; a big fat 'No!'.

"Yeah, yeah, Tama c'n take care 'a her, blah, blah, blah. Ya know, I don't see nothin'..." he gulped and frowned, beore continuing in a rush, "so special 'bout 'im no ways. Why's he got people fallin' all over 'im? He's a jerk. I should know; I'm a jerk an' I c'n spot a jerk a mile away." He glared into the flames and crossed his arms protectively over his chest.

He felt overwhelming jealousy and it was doubled by the pair of them being together. But he couldn't quite sort out who he was jealous of.

"I ain't goin' to no palace, Kitsune-chan, I'm a bandit. Ya think I wanna hang?" he grumbled, saying anything to get the conversation off of his newly-dubbed 'least favorite' subject.

Piecing together the particulars of Tasuki's relationship with Miaka and Tamahome would not be easy. The only thing that was certain was the tension between Tasuki and Tamahome, which seemed to center around Miaka. But hadn't Tamahome only just met her a few hours ago?

Chichiri sweatdropped at the image that popped into his head of Hotohori-sama wickedly tying a noose around Tasuki & Nuriko's necks and tossing them off a cliff. Why did everyone seem to think he'd want to kill them? Did he really seem like that bad of a guy?

"Hotohori-sama wouldn't kill you, no da. You're a Suzaku seishi, no da. You're vital to the survival of Konan, na no da. Besides, he's also one of the Suzaku seven, so you're like a brother to him already, no da," Chichiri explained for the second time in the past few hours.

Tasuki blinked, then blinked again, staring at Chichiri as though he was insane. His lips twitched and then he laughed, he laughed so loud and long that he was sure he'd never breath again. He bent double over his knees, gasping for breath between barks of laughter. His blanket slipped from his shoulders, allowing the criss-cross scars of the whip to be seen in the fire light but he was laughing too hard to care at the moment.

"I-I'm a…" he broke into laughter again, desperately trying to calm himself so that he could get this out. "Brother, bwahahahaha, Emperor, ahahahahahahaha! C'n I call 'im, teeheehee, aniki-sama?!" He fell over, rolling over onto his belly to beat against the floor with one hand. Apparently he found it amusing that someone would suggest that he could be in anyway related to someone so high up.

"Anou..." Chichiri sweatdropped.

He was being entirely serious. He didn't think Hotohori-sama would take to being called 'aniki', but that didn't lessen the bond between Suzaku's seishi. He waited until Tasuki caught his breath to speak again.

"I don't know about calling him aniki, but you'll all be safe at the palace, no da. He'll be happy to see us, no da. He was very worried when Miaka-sama was kidnapped, no da."

Tasuki froze. All mirth left him once the monk spoke again. "What did you say? For some reason I thought I heard you say that she'd been kidnapped." He raised deadly serious, golden eyes to Chichiri's face.

Chichiri blinked as the bandit's protective instincts flared up again. His eyes looked like a cat of prey's, gleaming dangerously across from him.

"A beastman kidnapped Miaka-sama and Kouji-kun from the palace, no da. He was one of the Seiryuu seishi, no da. I sent Kouji-kun back to the palace, and I was on my way there with Miaka-sama tonight, but something blocked my way, na no da."

Tasuki sat up slowly, inching forward on his hands and knees. "That's why she's hurt." he whispered to himself as he gripped Chichiri's shirt. "Where is he?" he shook Chichiri slightly. "Where the fuck is he?! I'm gonna kick his sorry ass!"

Taken aback, Chichiri stared at him for a moment without saying a thing. He reached up and stilled his hand, maintaining his grip on him so that he wouldn't do anything rash.

"I left him back in Hakko, no da. He's probably gone now, no da."

He glared down into Chichiri's face, anger and a feeling of helplessness filling him as he realized that he'd failed to protect her as well as Kouji. But Kouji had an excuse. He wasn't a celestial warrior. He sighed and closed his eyes, his shoulders slumping as he released Chichiri's shirt. "I'm sorry 'Chiri, you ain't th' reason she's hurt. I shouldn't 'a let her go to th' palace without me. It was my job to protect 'er, I promised I would."

Chichiri's face settled into a frown. He knew what it felt like to fail someone, and the weight of Miaka's wounds fell heavily on his own shoulders.

"I didn't protect her like I should've, no da," Chichiri admitted, "I wanted to find out who the beastman was working for, no da. Just rescuing her would mean they'd keep coming after her, so I thought I'd be protecting her better by finding out who wanted her kidnapped, na no da. I'm the one who failed her."

He slowly deflated, and he drew his knees in and wrapped his arms around them as he stared at the crisply burning wood.

Tasuki tugged his blanket back up over his shoulders and stared moodily into the fire. "It ain't yer fault she got hurt no way. Ya did what ya thought was best, an' if'n I'd a thought a somethin' like that I'd a probably done what you did. Ya didn't know that he was gonna hurt 'er like'e did." He cast a soft smile at Chichiri, "Heh, guess that means it ain't really my fault neither, ne?"

"Once we get her to the palace, Mitsukake will take care of her, no da. Healing is his gift from Suzaku, no da."

The bandit smirked, "I know Mits, he did that glowey thing on my back one time. Saved my life, if Nuri's t'be believed."

Chichiri raised his eyes. Through the dancing flames, he studied his new companion. For a moment, he said nothing, taken aback by the suddenness of Tasuki's appraisal. Despite his insistence that it wasn't his fault, Chichiri couldn't help but think otherwise. He was there, after all. He could have saved her anytime he wanted, but instead he let her remain in danger until the beastman unexpectedly tore into her.

"You've met Mitsukake, no da? That's good, no da! Then we can all go see him in the morning, no da."

Tasuki's smirk faded and he dropped his head a bit more, his voice becoming no more than a whisper. "Guess I know how ya feel 'bout yer scar. Makes ya feel like a monster, like ya ain't quite as good as everyone else, ne?"

The fire began its descent toward its fuel, devouring the last of the dry wood. Chichiri winced and grabbed his mask. His scar was pulsating.

"This scar is a reminder of another failure, no da," he let it pass quietly through his lips.

That much was true; he wanted to make sure he never let himself drown in anger again. He wanted to keep Hikou close to his thoughts at all times. But wasn't the effect an ever-renewing sense of inadequacy?

His eyes traced over Tasuki's face. He wasn't sure how comfortable he was that someone he'd only just met was sharing in his deepest secrets, but he couldn't help be amazed by the acuity with which Tasuki had read him. Maybe it was luck, or maybe they shared much more in common than he thought.

Tasuki glanced up to Chichiri's face and frowned when he noticed the smiling mask was back in place. "I told ya that ya didn't have to hide behind that thing!" he grumbled and moved over to kneel infront of the monk.

"Ya ain't gotta wear that thing when it's just us. I won't ask how ya got it if'n it makes ya uncomfortable, but I will ask that ya don't hide from me." He reached up and traced his fingers along the edge of Chichiri's jaw, searching for the seam of the mask.

He leaned close when he couldn't find the edge, peering at the monk's forehead, then moved around so that he could see the side of his face. Getting frustrated, he lifted Chichiri's chin and leaned as close as he could to see if there was at least a line he could find so that he could get the offending bit of paper off of his new friend's face.

"Arright, where's th' release latch on this damned thing?!"

Chichiri drew in a breath as Tasuki fiddled with his faux-face. Did he really prefer the ugly mark underneath? Or had it become more of a matter of seeing the truth beneath the smile?

The monk reached up and with a simple touch of his hand the mask slid off to reveal... another mask.

"Da!" he grinned cheerfully.

Tasuki stared in confusion, his brow crinkled and he cocked his head to the side. Eloquent words passed his lips, relating exactly what he was thinking; "Eh?"

He blinked a few times then shook his head. "Smart ass. Arright fine, hide for all I care. I'm beat, in more ways th'n one, an' I'm gonna sack out. Yer welcome t'pull up a nest a hay an' sleep here if'n ya wanna. I got pleanty a blankets o'er in th' tack room if ya need 'em. Or you c'n go back an' sleep in a room full a snorin' baka's. Yer choice."

He yawned hugely and stretched before he got to his feet and went to the small mound of hay he'd set up earlier. "Nigh' night, Kitsune-chan." He'd no more than flopped down on the nest than a soft purring snore emitted from his direction.

Chichiri watched Tasuki fall asleep within seconds and pulled up his own blanket of hay. He'd defused the strange tension in the air, and now it was time to rest. He knew once he closed his eyes that the nightmares would come. Every night they stalked him in his sleep.

He could easily have meditated before bed, eased his mind, and dissolved the terror that would await in his own personal night, but a part of him felt like he deserved it. Looking at Tasuki in the dying light, Chichiri contemplated his own mistakes, his guilt, his self-punishment. Maybe, in time, he could grow to forgive himself. Maybe, he'd have someone to help him through.

Moments later, he was lying down to sleep, sinking deep into his world of subconscious torment.


	21. Chapter 20

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Mt. Reikaku

Kouji had made it into the countryside after riding for a day and only one thing, one goal, lay in his mind. He had to find Genrou so that they could help Miaka. Hell, Genrou was a Seishi which meant he knew more about this protecting-a-miko business than anyone! With every passing moment Miaka could be suffering.

Grappling with his emotions, time crawled by as he made the trek towards the mountain stronghold. He couldn't wait to meet his comrades and find Genrou with a bottle of sake in hand, waiting for his return. He'd be mad, sure, but Genrou would forgive him and he'd help make everything right again.

The evening air was stagnant; little wind was blowing through the heavy forested tree tops as Kouji entered the domain of the Mt. Reikaku bandits. It was his home yet it felt strange and empty. Was he missing Miaka so badly that the mountain felt empty without her? He arrived to find the gates left open haphazardly. The light was fading as he made his approach towards a figure slumped near the entrance. His eyes widened in shock and horror when he realized it was a human body, torn to shreds and perfumed with the heavy odor of decay. Kouji closed his eyes to the sight and pushed on. Perhaps this body was just left behind from the battle before, left as a warning to any other bandit groups determined to make the mountain their home. He made his way up the steep stone step that lead to the main rooms, where food and drink was usually always on hand. What greeted him was worse than anything he'd seen before.

Sweat poured down the sides of his exhuasted face as he backed away from the room filled with the corpses of his men. He had to go in further to see if his best friend was in the mix of oozing pieces of flesh.

_No human could have done this! It had to be some monster!  
_  
Fighting back waves of nausea, Kouji searched the room, body to body, for his red headed friend and boss. Hours later he finished his search, no sign of Tasuki in the bloodied rooms. If he wasn't here, then the only other place he would be during such a difficult time would be his family home not too far away. Fighting back his exhaustion he left behind his destroyed home and hurried down into the fielded valleys below.

_Genrou, please be okay! Miaka needs you…_

Kou Residence

Aidou slowly rose, yawning with a heavy sigh as she stretched. Dawn would soon be approaching and she knew Ma would be up soon enough to start the daily chores and cook for her brother's friends. Pulling on her day clothes, she made her way into the kitchen, noting the dying embers in the fireplace with a furrowed brow. She would need to get firewood before Ma threw a fit. She slipped on her shoes and hastened for the door, pulling it open gently so as not to wake anyone, especially those sleeping in the living room.

As a frown eased from her mouth, Aidou made her way towards the firewood stored by the barn. Almost there, her right foot caught on something and she tripped. She squinted, trying to make out what had tripped her. It was a person!

"Dammit Shun'u…" she growled softly, assuming her brother to be the culprit, "Didn't Ma tell you to stop drinking? Get up!"

When the body didn't move, she peered closer.

It defintely was NOT her little brother.

Unsure of what else to do, she leapt back and let out a shriek.

The monk bolted upright as a woman's scream roused him from his slumber. He glanced over at Tasuki, who was still stone cold asleep. He hurried to his feet, grabbed his staff from its place against the wall, and shook the straw from his clothes.

"I heard a scream, wake up, no da!" he urged, shaking Tasuki by the shoulder.

Tasuki grumbled and rolled over, burying his face deeper into the pillow. "Meh..." His snores hitched, and he made a dreamy little sound before sleep fell over him again.

Chichiri brightened as Tasuki awoke, and then sagged as he went right back to sleep.

"Tasuki!" he shook him more violently, "Hurry, no da! Someone could be in trouble, no da!"

Tasuki wriggled down deeper into his blankets, one hand waving carelessly at Chichiri as though swatting at a fly. A sleepy, purring growl broke from his chest as he flopped over onto his back. "Merph..." and once more the snores and slight purring continued.

"We don't have time for this, no da!" he hissed.

He grabbed hold of his hand and tried to yank him to his feet. Mostly, he succeeded in dragging a sleeping bandit across the loft. He sighed. They were wasting precious time. Someone could be hurt, or kidnapped, or worse in the amount of time it'd take to wake the bump on a log at his feet.

Then, a thought occurred to him. A devious but surefire plan.

He looked from side to side to make sure no one was bearing witness to his next act. Then, with an innocent whistle, he rolled Tasuki over the edge of the loft.

The feeling of free-falling awoke Tasuki, and he had time for a surprised squeak before the ground rushed up to meet him.

With a groan, Tasuki raised himself up on his hands and knees. "Damnit, I ain't never sleepin' in a fuckin' loft again! This is th' last time I fall off'a there!" he grumbled and sat up, rubbing his abused cheek which had been the first part of him to reach the oh so forgiving ground.

He felt a tension in the air but couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was. "Chiri? Ya awake?"

Chichiri sweatdropped before pulling himself together. He leapt down from the loft, his kesa billowing out around him. He landed, and the rings on his staff clanged together.

"I heard a woman's scream just now, no da. Let's check outside, no da!"

He offered Tasuki a hand up.

Tasuki flinched and gripped Chichiri's hand, making tracks out of the barn. The wind blew past them so fast that it stung Tasuki's eyes and bit at his skin, but if Chichiri had heard a scream there had to be trouble brewing.

One name came to his mind; Miaka. Seems as though the tiny little miko was a magnet for trouble, and Tasuki would be damned if he let her get hurt.

Tasuki forgot to let go of his hand, and Chichiri just sailed along behind him like a banner in the wind. Together they rounded the corner of the barn and raced for the house. It wasn't long before they stumbled upon the source of the trouble: a flame-haired woman, aghast and staring down at…

"Kouji-kun, no da?"

Tasuki skidded to a halt, and Chichiri went flying into his back.

Tasuki's heart slowed from its fear induced thumping, and he stumbled forward a bit when his Chichiri kite slammed into his back. He paid no attention, opting instead to crouch down and tap at the bandit who lay in the grass. "Aidou, shaddap! Yer gonna wake Ma!" he glared up at his older sister for a moment before turning back to his best buddy. "Yo, Kouji, wake up man. Ya can't go scarin' th' shit outta my fuckin' sister at the ass-crack of dawn without gettin' an earful from me. WAKE UP, AHO!" he shook Kouji's shoulder and growled at him.

Finally calming down, Aidou looked the bandit over, slowly recognizing him as one of her brother's friends. She wondered why the bandit hadn't made it to the door like everyone else. Slowly, she set the back of her palm against Kouji's forehead.

"He has a slight fever, probably from exhaustion. Shun'u, get him in the house. He'll be okay as long as he gets some rest, a cool rag, and something to eat."

Miaka was still asleep. Dreams had yet again filled her head. At first, happy things: banana splits, ramen, dumplings, crepes, bubble gum! She munched on her pillow happily.

Gradually, the dream turned to this world and the things she'd experienced. A cold sweat ran over her as she relived fighting against the beast man who'd grabbed her. She was thrashing about in the covers, trying to beat him away. A piercing shriek woke her from the uncomfortable dream land. Rubbing her eyes, she quickly forgot the dream and headed the direction she heard the scream come from.

She pushed open the door quietly and looked into the hall. "Hello?" she half whispered.

"Miaka?" Nuriko called out softly, walking over to her. He'd also awoken as a result of the commotion coming from outside. "Sounds like Tasuki everyone is outside. Want to go see what's going on?"

Offering a hand to steady her, he turned for the door by the kitchen to outside.

Miaka nodded her agreement, taking Nuriko by the hand. With the rising sun, the floor no longer groaned its complaints with her every step. How was it possible that floors could be so loud at night? Back home there were a few times she'd come home late from studying (or so she told her mother) and the floor was super creaky.

As the wandered outside she stared at Nuriko a little, in amazement. Nuriko was one of those things... a seishi. Whatever that meant, Miaka was happy to have someone who cared about her. Someone to keep her safe that wouldn't try to take advantage of her.

"It looks like they're over there." She approached carefully as Tasuki and Chichiri were helping another man. "What's going on?"

Her heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of that face. Kouji. Every part of her mind told her that his being here was a bad thing. But that tiny little voice in the back of her cared. "Is he okay?"

It was impossible. Utterly impossible that Kouji could be here. Yet here he was, right before his eyes. Chichiri stood gawking during Tasuki's exchange with his sister, but once the bandit started to pull Kouji up, Chichiri took Kouji's other arm and slipped it around his shoulders. Together, they could move him much more quickly.

Just as he was about to take his first step, Miaka and Nuriko appeared.

"Miaka-sama," Chichiri frowned beneath his mask, "He should be all right, no da. We're going to bring him inside and check him out, no da."

Tasuki was grateful for Chichiri's help in dragging the unconcious bandit into the house, his shoulder ached both from the still healing bite and from his impromptu meeting with the barn floor.

He faltered when Chichiri didn't move at first. Glancing up to see why the monk wasn't moving, he caught the direction of Chichiri's gaze and followed it to the miko standing not far from them.

He winced as he remembered how down and depressed his miko was at the mere mention of Kouji, he could hardly imagine what seeing him would do to her.

For once he kept his mouth shut, nodding in agreement when the monk spoke to Miaka and held his tongue as he drug his best friend inside.

He wasn't even sure he had heard it at first. He was deep in a dream when the scream hit his ears. Tamahome's eyes shot open and searched the dimly lit room for trouble. Nothing. It all seemed pretty quiet. He shrugged and was about to go back to sleep when he heard Miaka and Nuriko squeaking around and whispering in the shadows.

They made there way to the door and Tamahome reluctantly followed. Miaka was safe and present if she was wandering around with Nuriko, and the others could handle themselves. He yawned and blinked away the sleep. Maybe the scream wasn't real at all and he was just about to interrupt a girly/girly-guy moment.

Tamahome hung back in the doorway until he felt the strange sinking feeling. He scanned the front yard. There was a rough, ugly looking guy being lifted up by Chichiri and Tasuki, but his eyes settled on Miaka. She was watching them help the newly-found-wounded man with a strange look on her face.

Tamahome stepped aside and held open the screen door for the three, glancing back to Miaka as they passed. He kept the door propped, waiting for the others to come in.

Tasuki wasn't sure where he would put the scarred bandit. The best place was the room Miaka was occupying but he wasn't sure how she would react to having Kouji take her bed... especially if they had problems.

"Anou, where are we gonna put him? Mi-chan's got my old room, Aidou's got Ji-hime in her room, Ma ain't gonna give up her bed an' th' common room is full a people. Th' only other place is th' barn an' it's too drafty if'n he's sick. Any ideas?"

At Tasuki's reluctance to use Miaka's room, Chichiri glanced backward at his miko. It bothered him that she might blame Kouji for disappearing, when it had really been at his request. From the look on her face, she was worried about his condition too. Whatever reasons Tasuki had for not wanting the two of them in the same room, Chichiri couldn't help but follow his heart in this situation. If it backfired later, he would deal with the consequences.

"Let's use your room, no da," Chichiri said, tugging them in that direction.

"So Bandit-chan decided to join the party!" Nuriko joked, trying to cheer everyone up.

Aidou hurried about the house, preparing a broth and cold compress for the injured bandit.

"I'm not tired anymore, so it's okay." Miaka smiled again, looking up at Tamahome as he held the door open for her.

"Thank you." She moved inside, following the others as they dragged Kouji around, trying to decide where to go. It would have been funny under more normal circumstances, whatever normal was in this place.

Miaka was smiling, but inside she was resolute. Despite feeling guilty about being unable to return his love, Kouji was wrong for her.

She looked back at Tamahome. With all these people here to protect her she was feeling safe at last.

Tasuki shrugged and lead them back to his old room. He wasn't about to argue when he'd been over ruled by two others. It was way too early for him to be awake, much less start an argument.

He nudged the door of his old room until it swung wide enough to allow them inside and hurried over to the rumpled bed.

He nodded to Chichiri and eased Kouji down enough to sit at the edge of the bed then pushed Kouji backward and covered a grin when he flopped over. He bit his lip to keep from laughing as he elbowed Kouji in the chin while he 'covered the poor dear up'.

It was a game they played; see who could do the most damage to the other before they woke up. Kouji was the four year champ and Tasuki wanted a few points in before Kouji got his turn.

It never mattered who was sick or just sleeping, the rules were simple; sleep until ya get woken up to bodily harm then try to best your buddy next time.

He coughed to cover a laugh when he pictured Kouji's face when he woke. This was too much fun.

Kouji awoke slowly, blinking to clear his blurred vision, trying to figure out where he was. His eyes caught up with him and he struggled to sit up.

"Genrou! Yer okay!" he coughed, looking around as he slumped back weakly. "Th' others… they…" slowly, he reached up, rubbing his eyes as he fought any tears. "Somethin' got th' others!"

Miboshi had spent the night listening to the report of a jewel-eyed crow. When the commotion began, she lazily rolled over and attempted to drift back to sleep, but unfortunately, the king of brainless mountain's voice traveled through the walls. She'd be quite surprised if anyone could sleep now.

She rose from her tiny, wretched excuse for a bed, took the comb from the scratched, chintzy nightstand, and ran it through her hair.

_What is this about?_

_New man. Kouji. Knows the red-hair._

Miboshi sighed and rolled her eyes. Talking with the tengu was always obnoxious. It wasn't that they couldn't speak more eloquently, no, they were quite capable if they were attempting to woo a hapless victim into their clutches - they just preferred not to waste their energy.

_A friend of Tasuki's, hm? That's all?_

_Sick. Coming in._

It was probably time to make an appearance. She could hear voices in the hall, feet pounding on the floor, and the shuh of someone being dragged across wood. Once her hair was silken, she held a strand in her hair and watched how it shone in the first sunlight. What... what had her own hair looked like, so long ago? She closed her eyes. She was forgetting.

Not that it mattered.

Miboshi stood and picked up the crudely made bronze headband Aidou had given her. It was beneath her, really, to wear something like this. And it'd make her quite happy to just toss it into a fire and laugh at the supposed 'goodwill' the elder Kou had shown her, but for appearances, it made for a lovely show of her bond with this group. People always went in for that sort of thing. She placed it upon her head and made for the door.

Once outside, she could clearly hear voices from Tasuki's room. None of them belonged to Suzaku's maiden, and thus they carried no interest for her. She stepped out in the living room and found her there, looking up at Sou.

So the reports were true. They'd barely known each other for a few hours, yet they seemed to have developed some sort of bond. She had to wonder just what was wrong with Sou's eyes if he chose a flat-chested, childlike little girl like that over the body she was in. Maybe he could still be persuaded otherwise. If she cared. Unfortunately, the persona she'd created for 'Ji-hime' obviously did, and it'd be highly suspicious for her to stop now.

"Sou? What's going on?" she asked innocently, rubbing lightly at her eyelid with one knuckle, "Is everyone all right?"

Tamahome had caught the glance Miaka threw at him when he closed the door. He smiled back, glad to see a bit of the weight lift from her face.

When he heard Ji-hime's voice, he broke the gaze.

"Oh, Ji-hime!" he jumped and nervously scratched the back of his head. He felt an absurd blush coming to his cheeks as if he had been caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

"Miaka and I,.. I mean, we, they, found a person in the front that they know and, um , well they were trying to find a place so he can sleep." He forced a laugh. "Guess Tasuki knows him, being a bandit and all... I'm gonna go check on them. A hahaha ha."

He stiffly turned and escaped. Once he rounded the corner, he dashed into the bedroom, shut the door, and rested against the back of it, sighing.

Miaka put a finger to her bottom lip. "I wonder what that was about..."

She followed behind everyone as Kouji was put to bed, babbling about something and hugging Genrou... perhaps she should call him Tasuki now. Cautiously, she peeked into the room. Something... got the others? What did that mean?

She stayed back a bit and listened. Tasuki had an explosive temper and who knew what was going on with Kouji. Still, she wanted to be near the people she cared about.

Tasuki growled and elbowed Nuriko aside, grabbing Kouji's shirt collar and shaking him. "What the hell do you mean 'something got the others'?" his tone was deadly, his eyes piercing as he shook Kouji once more.

"Answer me, damnit. Wake up. If something's wrong with the guys I have to know. I wouldn't be much of a leader if something happened and I didn't know about it." His accent was conspicuously absent as he growled at the half unconscious bandit.

Kouji winced weakly. "I don't know what did it but… they're all dead. I was tryin' to get back t' find ya t' get yer help with savin' Miaka and I figured you'd be at the 'hold. But when I got there…" Taking a gasp of air, he continued, slightly softer. "I came here to try to find you!"

Tasuki flinched and dropped his hands from Kouji's shirt collar. "What?" his voice was soft with shock. "That ain't funny Kouji, that's a real mean joke man." He tried to laugh, but it was strained and hollow.

He could go to the mountain before they all left to go to the palace and check things out. He was fast; he could be there and back in a few hours. Surely they would wait while he checked on his men?

Tasuki shook his head with a sigh as Kouji fell back asleep. He could care less if there were others in the room; he looked pleadingly at Chichiri. "Kitsune-chan, I've got to check... I have to make sure they're okay and Kouji's just delirious or something. You can wait three hours, can't you? Those guys... I'm responsible for them. It's my _job_ to make sure they're safe. I _have_ to go. Just wait for me to get back?"

Chichiri was deep in thought as he listened to Kouji's story, trying to unravel the knots and tangles. There was a good chance he was delirious, as this entire situation was ridiculous to begin with, but he knew that things couldn't be left at that. Especially not with the knowledge that there was at least one real beastman roaming through Konan.

Chichiri reached out a hand and placed it on Tasuki's shoulder.

"I can wait, but you shouldn't go alone, no da. I'll take Miaka-sama and Kouji-kun to the palace so that Mitsukake can heal them, no da. Hotohori-sama will look after them, no da. If you come with us, I can transport us all to the mountain after we know they're safe, no da. We can start now, na no da."

His hand slipped from Tasuki's shoulder. With one swift motion, he drew his kesa from around his shoulders and laid it on the floor. He took his beads and made a magical signal - and the kesa glowed for a moment, before settling back to its original color.

He looked around at all of their faces - Tasuki, Kouji, Nuriko, Tamahome, and Miaka.

"I wanted to have more time to explain, but I guess this'll have to do, no da. Hotohori-sama, the Emperor, is also a Suzaku seishi, and we'll all be safe at his palace, no da. I'm a monk, trained in the magical arts, and I can transport us to the palace, no da. Mitsukake, another shichiseishi, is there, and he can heal Miaka-sama, Kouji-kun, and Tamahome-kun's wounds. Tasuki-kun's too, once we find out about his friends, no da. Step onto my kesa, and we'll be at the palace in a minute, no da."

"The palace?" Tamahome muttered to himself.

The mantle Chichiri was wearing was draped onto the floor and emanated a strange light for a second. Tamahome had to blink twice before he was certain he was just seeing things. Then everything seemed to be dished out in condensed form.

He blinked.

"The Emperor?" he questioned, trying to decide weather or not to trust the magic-enchanted vestment. Having the Emperor as an ally would make everything much easier. Someone like that, with so much power and, *gulp* money as one of them... Tamahome smirked. Maybe he wouldn't be opposed to making the role of seishi a paid position.

"Hey wait, that's where I've seen you before!" he wiped at the drool in the corner of his mouth. "You were at the palace when it was burned. Is it still there?" he asked a bit frightened.

Sou ran away, and shortly thereafter, Suzaku's chosen girl followed, leaving Miboshi standing by herself in the living room. She crossed her arms, glaring at the space where they once stood.

How dare they...

Their deaths would be torturous. Yes, slow, and painstakingly plotted out. She'd be worth paying attention to then, wouldn't she?

Then the incessant wailing began.

"Shh, it's fine, Yuiren, nii-san is taking care of everything," came the voice of Sou's little brother, as he trailed his younger sister into the living room.

"I want to go home!" Yuiren demanded.

"We can't go home yet, Yuiren," Chuei explained with remarkable patience for his age, "We have to stay here until nii-san says it's safe to go back."

"I want to go home! I want to see daddy!" she whined.

Miboshi fought the urge to roll her eyes or smack her upside the head. It took a concentrated effort. She'd only been awake for a few minutes, and already she felt that oh-so-familiar wish to decimate the entire human race (or at least those which currently surrounded her).

A prickling sensation skittered across her skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake. There was powerful magic closeby, and no doubt it was the monk's doing. She'd be damned if she was going to be left out of whatever was going on in there.

"Little one," she knelt down before Yuiren, "Why don't we go talk to your nii-chan?"

Yuiren blinked at her through her tears, "Nii-chan?"

"Yes, he'll know what to do, right?" she smiled gently.

Yuiren nodded slowly. Chuei sighed.

"Thanks," he said.

Ji offered her hand, and Yuiren placed her little hand in her palm. The princess rose to her feet and led the two small children to their brother. She knocked lightly, and before there could be any response, drew open the door enough to peer inside.

"Sou? Your sister wanted to talk to you," Ji said, locking eyes with him meaningfully.

"Nii-chan!"

The door pushed open.

"Yu-Yuiren!" Chuei exclaimed.

Yuiren toddled into the room and clung to her brother's leg.

"I want to go home, nii-chan," Yuiren snuffled.

Chuei sighed and adjusted his sling, "I tried to tell her we had to wait."

Ji stood in the doorway, watching the little family reunion with an empathetic frown - the reverse of which was her internal satisfied smirk. They'd served their purpose. Clearly, the monk had enchanted his cloak, and they were all preparing for a spell of great magnitude. And thanks to the bratty toads, she wouldn't be left out of it.

Tamahome looked down at the little girl attached to his leg. Her tiny hands clung to his pants and she looked up at him with shining eyes. His heart broke, reminded that she still didn't know about the fate of the rest of their family.

Tamahome knelt down and placed his hand on her head.

"Chuei is right Yuiren." He patted her fine hair. "We can't go home just yet."

Tears filled her eyes again and her lip quivered. "Nii-chan..."

"Hey, hey." He cooed into her hair, wrapping his arms around her tiny shoulders. "It'll be ok. I'll make everything ok for you." He pulled her back and pressed his finger to her nose. "Trust me?"

Yuiren smiled through her tears and giggled at the poke. She nodded fiercely, trying to be strong for her Nii-chan.

"That's better." He smiled at her and then to Chuei, who was standing looking down at the floor. "Listen to Chuei, ok?

She nodded again and wiped at the wet streaks on her cheeks.

With the presence of the children, Miaka was reminded that while this all seemed a great fantasy, these people had real lives and families. War was breaking them apart. Her presence was causing much of this. She wanted to go home, but she wanted to help too.

The palace... the Emperor. He'd been so wonderful to her before. How could she just show up and expect him to feel as he did before? How did she feel about him, for that matter? She looked between Tamahome and Tasuki, finding her face flushed.

"The Emperor is really a very kind man. He'll take care of us. I bet he'll even be happy to let Chuei and Yuiren stay at the palace! Maybe Hotohori-sama can help you on the mountain too!" She was sincere in wanting to be of some kind of help, even if it seemed to be speaking for the Emperor. She just didn't want to be left all by herself again. Bad things always seemed to happen.

"Are... are we all ready?"

She looked around at everyone collected in the room.

Tasuki sighed and shook his head, his mouth opening to rant at the monk but the words died in his throat as the chibi's came in. Yuiren was crying. That stopped him better than anything else on this earth could.

He got to his feet and pulled Chichiri to the side, whispering to him so that the rest of the group piled into the room couldn't hear him. "Look, I know ya c'n do that ki findin' thing, but if'n ya don't know who's ki yer lookin' for it's kinda useless; especially if'n Kouji's right an' all th' guys are dead. I'm gonna go ahead up there while you guys go get Mi-chan, Tamahome an' th' kids healed up. When yer done, you c'n follow my ki an' find th' Stronghold. Don't worry 'bout me; nothin' on this planet c'n catch me."

He brandished his right forearm, the gently glowing symbol for 'wing' casting a soft red glow on the monk's face. "My symbol ain't 'tsubasa' fer nothin'."

Tamahome was smiling. At the palace there would be plenty of room, and a gate and guards to protect them when he wasn't around. He had a hard time thinking that the Emperor would be so kind hearted as to let them stay, but maybe she was on to something. He lifted Yuiren to his hip and stood up, taking Chuei's hand in his.

"If I can take them to the palace, I'm ready to go."

Chichiri nodded in affirmation of Tamahome's statement.

"Step on the kesa when you're ready, no da. Nuriko-kun, could you help Kouji-kun there, no da?" he asked.

That taken care of, he turned back to Tasuki, keeping his voice low.

"I'll come find you after I drop the others off, no da. Just remember that if you don't come back, Miaka-sama can never get back to her own world, no da," he warned.

He looked back into the bandit's eyes, knowing he couldn't dissuade him now, but worried for his safety.

"Be careful, no da."

Back to the palace! There was clean clothing, warm water, comfy beds and lots of food! Peking duck, sticky rice, won ton soup...

She'd begun to drool again.

Wiping her face she eagerly got onto the kesa. "I can't wait for you all to meet Hotohori-san! He's really nice and very pretty. I'm sure he'd worried sick about all of us."

_My brother and Tetsuya are probably worried too._ No matter, she'd be back soon enough and then she could get a little well deserved rest. She stepped on just enough so that there would be room for the others. Now it was just a matter of waiting to arrive at the palace.

"Come on Bandit-chan!" Nuriko giggled as he casually picked Kouji up and held him over his shoulder. "Let's go see the Emperor!"

Eyes at half-mast, Miboshi examined the purple cloak adorned with silver markings reminiscent of crystal balls. The soft glow of a teleportation spell was folded within its fabric, and the others made mention of visiting the Emperor's palace. There was no force, divine or mundane, that would keep her from this journey.

Ji stepped hesitantly into the room.

"Sou?" she moved to his side, "Is everyone going somewhere?"

Tasuki flinched. He didn't want them to know where he was going until they realized he wasn't with them.

Tamahome had just stepped up onto the kesa next to Miaka when Miboshi stepped shyly into the room and asked him if they were going anywhere. He nodded to her, placing Yuiren down on a comfortable spot.

"We were all going to go to the palace to… well," he faltered, forgetting that Ji wasn't part of their group and should probably not be told about the summoning, "Hopefully we could find some more permanent living arrangements." A blush crept to his cheeks, but then he thought of a great idea, "Ji-hime, you should come with us too. You'd be more at home in a palace, and I don't think we're coming back here."

He offered an outstretched hand.

"You…" Ji stared at his hand, and then looked up at him as if he were out of his mind. "Why are you all standing on that cloak? Shouldn't we be acquiring horses for the journey?"

Tamahome frowned, he had forgotten the lunacy of standing around of a piece of fabric and declaring a journey was taking place.

"The thing is, this is how we are going, and you should hop on." He looked to the others and did a double take. They had started to sink into the fabric. It was a crazy sight for him as well, but he just looked back to Ji-hime and smiled.

"It's magic… no da." He added, imitating the smiling monk.

"No da," Yuiren repeated with a giggle.

Chichiri sweatdropped, then he eyed Miboshi carefully. A woman with as much power as he felt surrounding her and she knew nothing of magic? Was that possible? Yet there was nothing in her demeanor that would suggest she was anything more than a simple princess.

"Hurry, no da," Chichiri urged.

Ji looked at him doubtfully, but she couldn't distrust her own eyes. She grabbed his hand tightly. He pulled her to his side, and she wrapped her arms around his, clasping her hands on top of his shoulder. Chuei stood before her, holding his hand, and Yuiren looked down at the kesa with wide, curious eyes.

Together, they stepped onto the kesa, and disappeared.

Tasuki winked at Miaka as she sunk through the monk's robe. "See ya in a bit, Chibi Onna!"

Chichiri stood as the last on the kesa, his staff at his side.

"You better not die. Bye bye, no da."

Imperial Palace of Konan

As far as living space went, the Emperor's prisons were not the worst he'd seen. A bit of sunshine from the slit up the wall (which he was carefully avoiding). The smell of body odor wasn't washed with blood. And there was enough room in one cell to uncomfortably accomodate eight to ten criminals.

When he'd awoken in a pool of his own vomit, Myojuan wiped off his chin, and drug himself up out of the dirt. He plastered himself against the bars and rested his weight against them. The effort it took to hold himself up, even with supports, was too much, and he slumped to the floor.

He stared forlornly at a stain on the wall of the opposite cell. No one was in there, just the inground dot of whatever it was in the brick. What was wrong with him? How had he let things come to this? Things had been going so well until Shoka...

His throat closed up, and it took him a few minutes before he could clear it. The hacking and wheezing brought a guard to his side. He felt himself being poked. He opened one eye and looked up.

"So the Suzaku seishi drunk has awakened, huh?" the guard grinned at him, "Rise and shine, 'celestial warrior'."

"Hey..." Myojuan grumbled, his voice gravely with disuse, "Water..."

The guard dipped a long-handled ladle into a bucket of water and then held it up to Myojuan's lips. He drank long and deep. The cool liquid helped to clear his head.

"You know, public drunkenness used to be punishable by a few days in the stocks. Maybe you could use that. We're sick of seeing you down here, Emperor's orders or not."

"I'll keep that in mind," Myojuan winced and pulled himself back up to stand, "Can you let me out now?"

"I think they've cut you off, you know. The servants have been told not to bring you anything even resembling an alcoholic beverage," the guard reported cheerfully.

Myojuan frowned at this man's propensity to overuse the phrase 'you know'. Right now, he didn't much care about anything he had to say. All he needed was to be out of this cell and in a nice comfortable bed to sleep off his hangover.

"Let me out," Myojuan warned.

"Yeah yeah. You know..." the guard unlocked the cell, and Myojuan's body swung open with the door.

He didn't bother to stop and listen. He was on his way to the guest room he'd been given as as 'Mitsukake', the chosen healer of Suzaku. Ha. Some healer he was. It never did anyone he cared about any good. All it got him was a stay in the palace and free booze, and neither of those were working out so well.

He didn't really bother to check which room he was tossing himself into. He just flung open the door, found the bed unoccupied, and shuffled right into it. Once he was laying down, he rest the back of his hand on his forehead and stared at the ceiling.

Sweat stuck not too pleasantly to his cheeks. Rhythmic drums were pounding in his temples. There was an unsavory scent, and he was pretty sure it was coming from him. This... was pathetic. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been sober. He was just a waste of space. A waste of life. His existence was meaningless, and when he wasn't drinking, fraught with nothing but pain.

Ever since she died, he just didn't have the will to go on anymore. Facing the long, empty days alone was more than he could bear, but the nights? Those were far worse.

He heard a soft 'mew' and Tama pushed open the door. The cat padded softly inside, leapt onto the bed, and nuzzled Myojuan's cheek with his fuzzy little head. He mewled sympathetically.

Tears welled up in Myojuan's eyes, and he tilted his head slowly to the side so that they could drain out. He was supposed to be a doctor. The one who, blessed by Suzaku, could miraculously save lives. But who would save his?

Ou brushed another character on to the page, than sat and thought for a bit. The exams were coming up soon, and while the provincial ones hadn't been very difficult, the imperial civil service exams were renowned not only for their difficulty, but their attention to detail. There were stories of candidates dismissed or given frontier posts because a spot of ink had spilled on their answer sheets.

And then, the cat had wandered into his view. "Myu?" The cat seemed interested in what Ou had to write, but made no move to play with the brush or the ink pot.

"What's your name?" Ou set aside his brush and concentrated on the cat. It was a somewhat dingy shade of white, as if it had gotten into a fight with a dust cloud and lost. After studying it for a while, Ou put his papers, ink, and brushes away.

"Let's see if we can't find out whose cat you are. Can you take me to your owner?" The cat looked at Ou, then jumped off the desk and headed out toward the baths instead. Ou followed, trying to remember whether the cat was heading toward the women's bath... or worse, the Emperor's. Luckily for him, the cat was surprised by a steam cloud issuing from one of the baths. In that hesitation, the cat stopped and Ou caught up. Peeking in the doorway, Ou saw a couple other exam candidates preparing themselves for a bath. Ou spotted a bucket with a little water in it, and brought it out for the cat to examine. The cat seemed uninterested... until Ou dumped the water on the cat.

From there, Ou had to sprint to keep up with the rapdily-drying, but much more brightly white cat as he dashed back toward the residential quarters. One dry, the cat slowed somewhat, but continued to keep up a quick pace until it darted inside an open door. Ou peeked inside to see the drunkard from before... he hadn't really done much to clean himself up from the last time. And he might have stunk more than before.

And when the cat rubbed itself up against his cheek, Ou shook his head.

"Niao," Tama pawed at his owner.

"Tama-chan..." Myojuan grumbled, then wrinkled his nose, "Why do you smell wet?"

The cat bounded down the length of the bed and motioned with its paw to Ou. Shiny, pleading kitty eyes looked up at him.

Myojuan followed Tama with his gaze. He noticed someone in the doorway and shifted up to a sitting position. His head reeled at the sudden motion, and he held it within his left hand. A faint glow emanated from his palm, and the worst symptoms of his hangover lessened.

A closer look at the person in the doorway revealed that it was a little boy. His face was dimly recognizable from the previous night. Myojuan hung his head as sudden shame washed over him.

"Hey," he said tiredly, "Would you mind getting the servants to bring me some water?" he asked.

Ou nodded, and managed to spot and get the attention of one of the servants before too long. "Water, for both of us, please."

As the servant went to fulfill the request, Ou returned his attention to the man lying down on the cot and his cat, named Tama, apparently.

"Feel any more sober than you were last night?"

The cat, now that the dust had been washed out of it, looked a much brighter shade of white than Ou had envisioned. And despite the appearance and self-preservation instincts of his owner, the cat looked to be well-cared for. This was a puzzle - generally people who were always in the bottle wouldn't have pets, much less be sober long enough to properly take care of them. That Tama didn't seem too worried about the stench that his master was making meant that this sort of thing wasn't out of the ordinary, but Tama also didn't seem afraid at all of him. Ou wondered what happened to this person, that they could be both a raging drunkard and someone with the kindness to take care of a cat...

Before he could continue with that line of thinking too far, the servant reappeared with a bucket of water and directions on where the baths were to be found.

Myojuan didn't bother answering the boy's question, he gave a sort of nod, and that was the end of that. Tama jumped down from the bed and wound himself around Ou's legs.

"He likes you," he said simply.

He peeled the covers off himself, got up, and then knelt beside the bucket of water. His reflection, grizzly and worn, glared back at him from inside the bucket. He dipped his hands in the water and drank from them.

Now that the pain was mild, and his head was clearing, a bath was sounding like a good option. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this disgusting. It was a wonder the kid wanted to be in the same room with him.

"What're you doing here at the palace?" he asked, wiping water from his chin.

"Well, first I came to deliver a message to the Emperor. After that, I realized that the imperial exams aren't that far away, and so I'm staying here until I get through those. I think what I have will last that long... if not, I'll have to go find some work to do." Ou reached down and pet Tama, which the cat responded to with a pleased-sounding purr.

"Imperial exams?"

Myojuan eyed the boy carefully. He couldn't be more than thirteen. Maybe hardly even ten. Did they even allow anyone that young to take the exams? True or not, he was feeling even more pathetic. Here he was, a grown man, drowning his life in sake, and this kid was trying to make something of himself.

Further conversation was stalled with the arrival of a servant. "His Majesty requests that the one called Mitsukake go and take care of an injured protector of the Priestess. My advice is that you bathe first, and then go see His Majesty."

After the servant left, Ou wasn't quite sure what to do - he hadn't been invited along, but he was curious to see what was going on. As far as he knew, the Emperor was still out chasing the Priestess. But now the Emperor was back - did that mean the Priestess was back, too?

When the servant informed him of the Emperor's desire for his presence, Myojuan sighed heavily. Couldn't these guys avoid getting hurt for even one day? It wasn't that he didn't want to heal them. That was his calling, his gift. He'd been praised his entire life for it, and a never-quite-forgotten part of him yearned to help others. It just seemed so pointless in the end. Everyone would end up dying sometime anyway.

Rising to his feet, he wiped his hands on his pants, and looked down at the boy.

"What's your name?"

"Doukun Ou. If you need a little help finding the baths, I can guide you. Although your cat may not want to go back. The last time he was there, he got a cleaning." Ou started to head out in the direction of the baths. "What's your name, then? And why are you here?"

"Myo juan," he said, following alongside the boy. Tama climbed up his side and took his place on his shoulder.

"I'm a doctor," he said, "I'm here to take care of Suzaku no Miko and her protectors."

He pulled open the door to the baths, and Tama jumped down, shaking his head vehemently. Myojuan smiled down at the frightened cat.

"You don't have to come."

Tama sighed with relief and scampered up onto Ou's shoulder. Myojuan threw a towel over his vacated shoulder and looked down at Ou.

"This is my stop. It was nice meeting you, Doukun-kun," he was about to head inside when he hesitated and looked back, "Could you tell them I'll be there soon? Usually it's not an emergency, but they can be impatient."

Ou nodded and absentmindedly pet Tama, who purred in appreciation.

"I'll relay the message."

Thus, with the cat on his shoulder, and a lot to think about, Ou twisted his way back through the palace's corridors.

"He's one of the Celestial Guardians? I suppose it makes sense to have a healer on board, but if he's going to be drinking all the time..."

Something else tugged at his brain. He didn't quite have it all worked out, but the knots were untangling...

"The prophecy says that only when disaster is around will the protectors and the Priestess appear... things are bad, especially out in the provinces, but it's not like there's an army invading. Not yet, anyway - the dragon's kin have always been stirring restlessly, raiding the borders, but there's been no war, really."

Ou was thinking hard enough that he didn't notice the tiny character on his foot emitting a very soft glow.

"And there was that one strange time where I blacked out. I wish I could remember whatever it was that provoked it. I can only remember that I was close to the Emperor - maybe I was just so in awe of him that I fainted." Turning another corner, Ou almost ran into one of the guards on patrol outside the Emperor's chambers.

The guard looked down. "What are you doing here, kid?"

"I'm delivering a message from the doctor that was sent. He's busy cleaning up at the moment, and he'll be along shortly."

The guard shook his head. "Don't tell me that. Tell _them_." The guard pointed behind him, at the open door.

Ou nodded, took a breath for confidence, and then walked around the corner toward the Emperor's chambers.

Warm water cascaded down his back, washing away the grime of the dungeons. His hair drizzled down into his eyes, and Myojuan took a deep, cleansing breath of steam. When he looked up into the mirror, he could not recognize the man he saw there.

It was time for a change.

First, he thoroughly soaped himself up, then rinsed off. Grabbing a razor, he carefully shaved away the beard he'd been growing. He patted himself on the cheek, and then turned the razor on his hair. He chopped it short and spiked it up. Then he gave it a good scrubbing. When he was satisfied, he smiled softly at himself in the mirror.

A toweling later, and he was dry and dressed in new, clean clothes. He tied two bandanas around his head - one signifying health and the other protection. It was time to go take care of business. Time to live up to his destiny. Time to be Mitsukake.


	22. Chapter 21

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Mt. Reikaku

Keisuke let out a loud groan. They'd been trudging through the countryside for days. At some point, Saihitei-sama suggested that they head toward Mt. Reikaku, as it was the home of the bandit Kouji. It was their best clue, and they'd all readily agreed. They had since only stopped for short breaks and to rest at night, favoring speed over stealth in an effort to catch up to Kouji. He couldn't have made it too far ahead of them, after all.

As they climbed the mountain, Keisuke looked up toward the summit with tired eyes. Saihitei-sama had told them to be on their guard. This was a known bandit stronghold, but no attacks had come. Were they missing something?

His next step fell on shaky ground. His shoe slipped on a few loose rocks that had looked deceptively solid, and he stumbled on the narrow path leading up the mountain. Thankfully, he caught himself by grabbing onto the person nearest to him, and the only thing that went flying over the edge was a handful of rocks and dust.

He stared down at what could have become of him and slowly closed his mouth.

"Sorry," he offered tiredly.

Kaen stared at him, eyes narrowed. She was torn by understanding that grabbing anything was preferable to a long drop. But she also could not deny the fact that this _man_ had just _grabbed her_.

This was not the sort of situation that had ever been discussed back home. On the island, she would have punished him severely and felt fine about it. Things just weren't so simple.

She settled for stepping quickly away from him. "Watch where you're going more carefully," she said, keeping her tone very chilly just so that he'd know that he'd made a mistake.

Hotohori continued up the path, ignoring the ruckus behind him and listening to the sounds of the mountain. Even he, a boy raised in luxury, could tell that something wasn't right.

"Something terrible happened here. Miaka isn't present, but perhaps we'll be so lucky as to find some sign of her."

He took careful, cautious steps. His head told him danger might still be close. No need to alarm the others yet. The foreigners would likely just prove more noisy than they needed.

Keisuke sweatdropped and let his hand fall to his side when Kaen moved away. Jeez, it wasn't as if he meant to fall off the cliff or anything. He knew she didn't like guys. He got that plenty. But why did she have to be so cold all the time?

He frowned at her back as he followed her up the rocky path. Leaving his thoughts for another time, he fell back a bit toward Tetsuya.

"Where do you think the bandits are?" he whispered.

Tetsuya had been watching Keisuke's near-fall with some concern and a healthy dose of alarm--he'd been too far away to do anything when his friend had very nearly taken the quick route down the mountain. Thankfully, nothing had come out of it. Keisuke might disagree, since apparently Kaen's disapproval of him had just nosedived even further (something Tetsuya wouldn't have even believed possible), but at least he was still alive and in one piece.

Had Tetsuya bothered to think about it, he would have wondered why he, of all people, was at the back of the line when he was quite possibly the worst candidate to act as their rearguard. Well, actually, he had thought about it for all of four seconds and hadn't liked the answer he'd come up with: he was last in line because he was in worse physical condition than the others. He wasn't out of shape, per se; it was simply that he was unused to days-long hikes with mountain treks tacked on at the end. His muscles were aching in places he never knew existed. He bore it stoically--no sense in sounding like a spoiled brat and annoying everyone else--but his pace was lagging nonetheless. It wasn't enough to slow the party down--he could still keep the pace set by the others--but he tended to be the last to arrive at whatever campsite they'd picked for the night.

The fact that there usually were a few yards between Tetsuya and the rest of the party while they were on the road meant that anyone could have a relatively private conversation with him whenever they wished, simply by dropping back to walk with him and keeping their voices low. By 'anyone,' he meant Keisuke since it was only his friend who did that. The Emperor was too busy keeping his feet marching forward to pay too much attention to the rest of them, and Kaen was usually too absorbed in being herself.

Tetsuya glanced at Keisuke, then back up the mountain path. "I don't know, Keisuke," he replied, his voice low and weary, "But I'm sure we'll find out."

Still disturbed by her internally odd reaction to the foreigner, Kaen sped her pace a little to move up next to Hotohori. After he spoke, she nodded. She'd had a similar feeling; her hand didn't stray far from her sword. "I don't like this," she said quietly.

Ashitare'd yet to find the miko's scent. He'd been travelling in circles scenting the air, the ground, and passing trees in desperate hopes of finding her. His master would not be pleased if he returned empty handed and he shuddered at the thought of just what that might entail.

He'd decided to try the bandit hideout once more, her scent was fairly strong there and he was hoping that it might give him an idea of where she might have gone. He wandered room to room, passing the dead and aromatic bodies of the men he'd destroyed in his ransacking of the mountain retreat. He found no trace of a new scent trail, only his own and the faint scent of the miko that was more than a week old.

He'd started down the mountain when a scent caught his nose, drifting on the wind to him from down the mountain. _Her_ scent... but slightly more masculine toned. His brow furrowed, trying to decide if the miko could change her scent, or how she had managed to bring a close male relative with her from the heavens.

He shook his head; it was impossible that the heavenly miko could have brought anyone with her, that meant that she'd figured out how to change her scent.

A devilish grin split his face and a growl of approval rumbled in his chest; he was going to complete his mission and the girl he needed to do so was just down the mountain.

Sparing not even the shortest of moments for deeper thought, Ashitare leapt through the nearest window and began his helter-skelter dash down the mountain towards the scent that was now filling his nose.

_She has brought other males with her, though the bandit male is not with her this time. Seems he must have died from the wounds I inflicted. Pity. He would have made a nice meal._

He could hear voices, male voices and a female one, though the female voice was nothing like the miko's. That stopped him from directly leaping in to the group that was making their way up the mountain and grabbing the one he needed to take. Instead he opted to watch from the bushes and wait for the best opportunity to grab the miko and make his way to Kutou and his waiting master.

He couldn't get a good look at the miko from his vantage point but her scent was close to a male near the back of this pack, and from what he could see, she seemed to have been transformed into a male. The magician bandit must have cursed her before he died; that would amuse his master.

Soon, soon he would grab the transformed miko and make his way home... Seiryuu help her when his master finally got his hands on her.

The climb up the mountain had been long and difficult, but the group had made it. However the bandit camp was not what the Emperor had expected.

"It's quiet here." He walked forward, cautiously, looking around almost expecting an ambush of some sort. He rested a hand on his sword, prepared to draw it if needed as they moved more into the camp.

There was stunned silence as he looked at what was clearly the remains of an ambush. Blood stains had seeped into the dirt, leaving the tell-tale sign of a battle.

As they neared the bandit camp, its doors wrenched wide open, Keisuke swallowed down the urge to vomit. The bandits who were on guard weren't just dead - they were gutted. Pieces of them laid out underneath the baking sun, picked at by carrion birds. This was the reason they weren't ambushed.

"Wha- what happened here?" he asked, fighting to keep his cool.

Tetsuya slowed to a halt a fair distance away from the first few bodies, either unwilling or unable to go any nearer. Revulsion swept over him, and he had to look away. Biting his lip, he forced himself to take even breaths.

Annoyance spurted across Tetsuya mind at Keisuke's vacuous question. "Something attacked them," he replied almost waspishly, "They died."

Even as the words left his mouth, he winced in regret. He couldn't really blame Keisuke for asking the obvious--his friend was probably as rattled as he was. He shouldn't have jumped down Keisuke's throat, figuratively speaking, just because his own nerves were shot. Tetsuya clenched his jaw and shook his head.

"Sorry," he sighed. "Just not too used to all this." Talk about the understatement of the year.

Instead, he turned his back on the entrance and looked down the mountain path. The bandits had chosen their base camp well. Most attackers would have been spotted from this vantage point well before they would have reached here. But from the quick glimpses Tetsuya had gotten, it almost appeared as if the bandits had been taken by surprise.

That was not a very pleasant thought.

All at once the Emperor felt a chill run through his body. It had something to do with the Priestess... with Miaka.

He took a few steps forward and looked around.

"We need to search out some sign of Miaka or Kouji. Search the camp. Maybe we'll be able to find some survivors."

He hoped desperately not to find Miaka here. He'd rather not know if she was injured or... no, he wouldn't even think it. For now, he needed to hurry. If Miaka wasn't here, she was likely still alive out there somewhere. Which meant they needed to find her even more quickly. Any creature that could do this would make a formidable enemy.

Kaen glanced back at the foreigners to make certain they were alright. All things told, they were handling the carnage better than she'd really expected.

She busied herself aiding the search for tracks. Near one of the ruined tents, she found marks, clear in the scuffed ground. She straightened up and waved to the Emperor. It didn't lead in a direction yet, but at least it gave some hint as to the sort of beast that had attacked.

Visibly shaken and numb to the existence of the rest of the world, Keisuke went in search of his sister and the idiot bandit. His mind ran on ahead of him.

_Please let her be alive. Please don't let her die here. Please.  
_  
He made a wide arc around a particularly bloodied up and grisly bandit. Backing away from the sight, he suddenly felt a sharp poking in his backside and nearly leapt ten feet in the air - figuratively of course. He turned around to see that he'd been ambushed by a terrifyingly menacing... bush. He sighed with relief, that is, until the shrubbery began rustling on its own.

Ferocious red eyes watched the entourage as they searched through the bandit hideout. Ashitare was content to watch them pick over the bodies, but curious as to what they were looking for.

The one he'd targeted, the transformed miko, had found himself alone near the edge of the wood. He was close enough that Ashitare could clearly pick up the otherworldly scent on him, that scent confirmed that this _had_ to be the miko.

He crept closer to his target, his feet making no sound in the loose packed dirt as he watched the miko-man back into a bush and nearly scream like a little girl. He could hear the thud of the man's heart as it quickened in fright and Ashitare crept closer.

A large hare darted out of the bushes and between the miko's feet.

"Ah!" Keisuke shouted as he spun around in a circle like a weathervane pushed by the wind.

When he came to a stop, he watched a bunny hopping away. He grabbed his chest to still his heart and heaved a sigh.

"Just a rabbit," he reassured the others.

A grin split Ashitare's lips and he crouched low; it was time to end this cat and mouse game and take what he was here for.

Soundlessly Ashitare leapt from the bushes, planting himself directly behind the male miko and wrapping one arm around his neck, the other cinching around the boy's waist. He growled deeply as he glared at the other people.

His throat worked as two deep, growling words past his lips. "Miko, mine!"

"Keisuke!" Hotohori whipped out his sword, ran forward a few steps, but stopped short eyeing the creature.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken. That's no Miko."

He stood, ready to fight, but cautiously assessed the situation. He didn't want Keisuke to end up without a head, after all. The creature... it looked familiar to what had supposedly taken off with Miaka. Or at the very least it looked semi-human, semi-sentient, and very nasty.

"What are you?"

Kaen drew her own sword silently, watching... whatever that was that had grabbed her foreigner. The Emperor was speaking to it, which was good. With any luck, that would distract it.

Keeping her movements slow and steady to minimize the chance she'd be noticed, she began to step into position to charge the... thing.

Keisuke's brain was no longer functioning at its highest level. No, he was whipped about by a much more animalistic impulse - it begins with 'F' and ends in 'ear'. He would have thrashed, flailed, kicked, or even wiggled, if even a single one of his limbs seemed to be receiving any kind of coherent messages from him. Instead, he was tossed about like a rag doll, clutched against the sweaty, hairy chest of the giant beast that had flayed alive an entire camp full of hardened criminals.

The Emperor spoke to it as if they could have a civilized conversation, and Keisuke sweatdropped despite himself. Motion captured by his peripheral vision showed Kaen sneaking around the monster, and Keisuke thought it best not to interrupt whatever it was she was planning.

He turned his attention back to Saihitei and it was then that his brain snapped into place, and he realized Tetsuya was still down there. He had a sword, but that was about as useless as the piece of metal hanging from Keisuke's own belt, and, despite his wads of cash and charming personality, he had no prayer of even scratching whatever the animal was that had him in its grasp. He swallowed and felt his adam's apple pressed against the meaty forearm of his captor.

If he had to die, at least his buddy could get out of here. He could go on, find Miaka and Yui, and get home. Explain to mom what happened. Maybe have a nice funeral, hire some pretty girls to cry for him, pray to his ashes and… Keisuke shook himself mentally to dislodge himself from fantasizing about his own afterdeath. He took a deep breath.

"Tetsuya, get out of here!" he yelled.

"Like hell I will, Keisuke!" Testuya snapped back, adjusting his awkward grip on his drawn blade. If only it were a gun. Or if only he'd been with the kendo club. Or if only none of this was actually happening. "You think I'm just gonna leave you here?"

Right now, the attacker was stuck between him and Saihitei, though there was no guarantee that he couldn't just leap off into the bushes again with Keisuke. Besides, if the attacker decided to simply charge Tetsuya, he'd probably succeed in bowling the erstwhile college student over...if he didn't decide on decapitation while at it.

So, what to do?

Kaen. Where was she? Tetsuya was tempted to look around for her but decided against it and instead focused his attention on the beast holding Keisuke captive. Kaen was a warrior. She'd know what to do. If she was nowhere to be seen at the moment, it was because she didn't want herself to be seen. Best not to blow whatever plan she had by stumbling around and calling out for her.

"The em...Saihitei-sama is right," Tetsuya said. "That is NOT the miko! Look at him! That's a man you're holding! The miko's a girl!"

Ashitare growled and tightened his arm around the boy's throat. He could smell a woman among the group but couldn't see her from this vantage point and flicked his ears back to catch any sound that might tell him where she had gone.

The soft sound of bootheels on loose gravel caught his attention and he growled again, his body coiling in anticipation of leaping out of there with his prey.

"Smell same. Miko, mine!" he forced out again. His throat felt strange as he'd never really attempted to talk before. He cut his gaze at the other strange smelling boy with dark circles over his eyes, confusion causing his brow to furrow. "No talk! Master wants. Must heed."

He leapt towards the bushes he'd come out of, his arms still wrapped around the frightened boy as he melted into the dense woods.

Kaen began her charge when she saw the beast coiling. She hadn't thought it could move so fast, though. The moment it leapt, she began to sprint after it, keeping it in sight. As she ran, she pulled her bow from her shoulder, stringing it between one step and the next.

"Give me strength!" she shouted, pausing for just one moment to draw the bow and let an arrow fly at the fleeing beast.

Then she ran again. She would not lose.

The wind began to rise.

Hotohori assisted Kaen in her attack. He clenched the hilt of his sword tightly and ran with quick, deliberate steps. He kept a close pace with the woman, surprised by her determination. Perhaps she felt more for the foreigner than she was letting on.

No matter, he would continue the chase. For as long as his lungs could take.

After a while more he at last had to stop running. He paused for breath and looked in the direction the beast had gone.

"Dammit..."

Tetsuya barreled along in the Emperor and Kaen's wake, praying that there were no crevices in his path or traps lying in wait for the unwary. Or the awkward, he silently added as he nearly tripped over something in the undergrowth. He was barely keeping up with the two pursuers, not having been trained in any martial arts. Truth be told, he actually wasn't keeping up with them; he was merely keeping them in view, which was something else entirely.

Part of himself wondered if this was actually a good idea. He would be next to useless in a fight, he was lagging behind in this chase, and he was as unsubtle and quiet in the woods as a bull in a china shop. Another part, however, had absolutely no intention of staying behind in a campsite full of massacred bodies and was more than a little fearful that there wouldn't be any chance of anyone heading back to fetch him. Not because he thought the Emperor and Kaen would fall to Keisuke's kidnapper (in fact, he rather doubted that anyone or anything could possibly kill the relentless Amazon), but rather because he had a feeling that there was little turning back in this strange and bizarre journey they were on.

And those who fell behind were simply left behind.

Surprise, surprise, the beast wouldn't listen to reason, and he was being carted off like some kind of chewtoy. Keisuke peered glumly at the sword, still in its sheath, at his side. Now that he'd had time to adjust to his situation, he found that he could think much more clearly. Strategize. You know, do something useful.

"Heeeeelp!" he yelled.

An arrow flew past Ashitare, missing his shoulder by only a few inches and he growled again. He could hear the beating of several pairs of feet against the hard packed earth and knew he had to make his escape and soon.

His eyes darted around, looking for any place that would allow them to be out of sight long enough for their persuers to either pass them by or give up the search all together.

The miko turned male let out a scream, distracting him from finding them a hiding spot.

That just wouldn't do.

Ashitare moved as fast as his legs would allow, dodging between trees as he searched more franticly. He couldn't spare the extra energy to clamp a hand over his prey's mouth, not until they stopped.

The wall of rock at his side seemed to be laughing at him; a crooked crevice barely wide enough for a small girl flashed past him and he grinned. They would fit, he'd make sure of that.

He made a wide arc, circling back to the small cave as he shifted the miko-man so that he could cover his mouth to keep any sound he might make behind his teeth. He could hear their footfalls as they crashed through the woods after him, they sounded just far enough away to allow them into the cave without being seen.

He stopped abruptly and shoved the miko inside, hearing the boy's skin scrape across the rock as he was shoved through the almost-too-small crack in the mountainside. He squeezed and wriggled, feeling the fur on his back and chest ripping out as he forced his wider frame through.

He fell in a heap at the miko-boy's feet, inside the cave at last.

Keisuke's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw the 'cave' the beastman wanted to hide in. Did he have no sense of proportion? He got his answer when he was crammed, headfirst, into the crevice. His cries of pain as his shoulders scraped and his clothing ripped reached only the interior of the mountain.

He screwed up his face and grit his teeth as his muscles tensed and contracted. Keisuke craned his neck and twisted his body around so that he was facing the mouth of the world's littlest cave. It was actually a bit roomier inside than it looked from the outside, but not by much. If this had been the last of his problems, and the beast had stood outside defending him or something, that might've been okay. He was just starting to relax, to try to plan his escape, when the beast contorted its body and shoved itself through the opening.

Keisuke stared into the wild red eyes of his kidnapper, and it felt as though his entire brain went black - but in actuality, it was that the cave itself was considerably darker now that the beast was blocking any sunlight that might've filtered in. He put his hand on the hilt of his sword, hoping that this thing was no better off seeing in the dark than he was.

But he was stuck, he knew that. Unless he managed to kill this thing in one stab - then he was in for a world of pain. It didn't seem to want to eat him, which was little consolation. The fact that it had mistaken him for Miaka was ludicrous, but that meant that she wasn't with him anymore, and he hadn't killed her. She escaped, and hopefully she was safe now. He gripped the cloth-bound hilt tighter and smiled to himself. He could be grateful for small miracles.

Now if only whatever gods existed in this world would send one for him...

Kaen kept her bow out as she ran, though she didn't get another good shot. When she had lost sight of the creature, she switched to tracking. The creature was fast, but the cost of that speed was a trail that she could follow; there was no time for it to hide it, and a forest floor told volumes of information to an experienced hunter.

She continued on, her feet swift but fairly quiet for their speed. Every sense was on edge, searching for sound or sight of the creature's passing.

The trail was very fresh, of course. It turned, and lead back toward crevice that she had passed barely a moment before. It was possible that the creature had tried to hide, possibly because Keisuke was being difficult. Had the circumstances been less dire, Kaen would have smiled at that thought.

She slowed, readying an arrow to be fired at a moment's notice, then began to stalk forward. The wind was with her; if the creature was indeed trying to hide, it wouldn't catch her scent.

Keisuke was _her_ foreigner, and she'd be damned if some man-beast thing would defeat her.

At the moment, the Emperor had two choices before him. The first was to stop and work out a plan with Tetsuya, making sure he didn't fall behind. The other was to go on and fight the creature.

Kaen had run off after Keisuke so he would attend to Tetsuya for now. He stopped and turned to face Tetsuya, who was jut now catching up with them.

"Whatever this thing is... it's strong. It recognized Keisuke as similar to Miaka which means it smelled Miaka, perhaps even was responsible for her kidnap, but didn't kill her. This is a very delicate situation. Short of killing the thing, I don't know how we'll be getting your friend back."

The wind whipped through the trees as a cloud passed overhead, casting them in shadow. He sighed heavily. So much trouble for the love of his life... but he would be victorious, emerging the hero and earning her love.

"You look smart. Let's find Kaen and work out a plan. She ran up ahead."

Tetsuya gave thanks to whatever deities that the Emperor had mercifully decided to take a short breather. Any longer, and Tetsuya likely would've wound up pitching flat on his face. For long moments, he didn't do anything except lean against a nearby tree, head down, breath coming in labored pants. What the Emperor said did make sense, but there were also a couple of wrinkles.

"No time," he managed between gulps of air. "Kaen... won't stop... and that... that thing... won't slow down. Best if..." He closed his eyes, feeling the world spin around him, and did his best not to hyperventilate. A few deep but measured breaths, and the dizziness passed. "Best if we tried to circle around that thing and cut off its route. Just following it won't... won't end this chase."

He straightened, one hand still resting again the tree for support, and looked around. "What's past these woods?"

"Past the woods? Just a lot more mountain I'm afraid. Beyond that..."

There was much of his kingdom he'd never seen. Not that he hadn't wanted to see it, there was just never time to get away. An Emperor doesn't get a vacation. His absence from the palace at present he would be paying for when he returned.

They continued at a jog, keeping an eye out. When they finally caught up with Kaen she was no less determined but the thing wasn't in sight.

Ashitare growled as the scent of their persuers grew closer. The man-miko was breathing hard and was slightly injured but fairing well, so a mad dash out of there might not be a bad idea.

Red glazed eyes searched the cave wall behind Keisuke's head but found no fissures that he could claw open further. He'd really screwed up, he was trapped with his master's prize in a cave with no escape.

He scooted around to glare through the opening, a growl errupting from his chest. "Go 'way! Kill miko-man! Promise!" No more than his face could be seen in the small opening, fangs glinting in the morning light.

The moment she saw the glint of fangs and heard the voice, she had the arrow ready to fly. "I am an Amazon of Nisei, monster," she said, coldly. "My bow fires true, and my prey does not escape. The choice is yours. Bargain for your life, or do the most foolish thing possible and harm the man you hold. He is under my protection; harm him and I will skin you alive. It will take you two weeks of agony to die."

Ashitare shifted to the side, moving the miko-man in front of his body and clenched the man's throat in one meaty paw.

"I kill him! You away!" he dug his claws into Keisuke's tender flesh, raising small dots of blood. "Promise!" he growled from behind his prey.

He had nowhere to go, but as long as he had the miko-boy he had something that they valued. They wouldn't try anything risky. That thought gave him confidance and he put his sneering face along side Keisuke's at the cave opening.

Caves. Not fun. Amateur that he was, even Tetsuya knew that storming in would be a messy affair. He chose to hang back, not even calling out to Keisuke. This wasn't his place; it belonged to the ones who knew how to fight. Right now, he was just a spectator in this.

"What now, Your Highness?" he asked Hotohori in a low voice. It was rather obvious what the Amazon had in mind, but Tetsuya still didn't know what the whole plan was...or if there even was one.

Obviously, the monster had made up its mind. Kaen looked at Keisuke briefly; there was no way to really communicate with him, though she hoped that maybe the resolve in her face would warn him what she was about to do. Hopefully he was smart enough to struggle and break free.

...and if not, he would be avenged.

In one smooth, lightning fast motion, she drew, aimed, and loosed the arrow, sending it straight for the beast's eye.

Ashitare knew from experience to never underestimate an opponent, but his brain warred with his instinct over how dangerous this situation was. Instinct howling at him to be overly cautious while his head told him that his persuer was merely a female and not to be taken seriously.

The blinding pain that shot through his eye told him that his instinct was right on target... again.

He yelped and instinctively shoved away from anyone who was close; a learned instinct carefully crafted under the merciless hand of his master.

He grasped the slick wooden shaft that protruded from his left eye and yanked it out, the barbs increasing his pain. An animal roar errupted from him as he shoved the here-to-fore silent miko-man aside and wriggled through the crevice.

Animal instinct told him to run.

This time, he'd listen.

Keisuke blanched as the arrow came soaring straight for the beast's eye. Seconds later, he was dropped to the floor, and he rolled back and away from the monster. With one hand, he clutched at the gash on his neck, with the other, he clumsily drew his sword just in time to... watch the beastman run away.

The sword in his hand quavered, and he turned to Kaen with a shaky smile.

"Nice shot," he said.

Clinging madly to the last shreds of his sanity, he pulled his hand away from his neck and stared down at the blood. Much more was rushing from his wound than he'd thought, but he didn't have the presence of mind to be shocked.

"Everyone's okay?" he looked back at her with a slightly glazed look in his eye.

Kaen took a few steps after the beast; by force of will, she reined herself back in. Her mission had been accomplished. Her foreigner was safe. And now, if she wanted to keep him safe, she would have to let the prey go. In his current state, there was no way that the man would be able to keep up with her during a pursuit.

Her muscles sang with tension as she unstrung her bow, then turned to look at the foreigner. She noted the trembling, the pale face... not good.

She stepped forward, and gently took the sword from his hand, then stuck it in the ground. She didn't want him to accidentally hurt someone. "In much better shape than you," she said, though her tone was not unkind. She tore a strip of cloth from the edge of her tunic, then stepped a bit closer to him, so she could hold it against his wound. She tried to ignore just how close she now was, and concentrated on the fact that he was wounded, and her responsibility.

Keisuke nodded vacantly, staring into space. He felt pain radiating out from his wound when Kaen pressed the cloth against it. He tried to look down at his injury, but all he could see was the blood peeking out from underneath the cloth and dribbling onto his clothes. He reached up and placed his hand over hers. Her skin was soft to touch, and he brushed his thumb across her knuckles. It was soothing, and he felt like he was drifting off to sleep.

"Your hands are cold," he looked back at her with a dazed smile.

***

As soon as Chichiri's staff head vanished into the robe, the blue material swirled down to vanish in a poof of blue smoke and Tasuki turned towards the door only to meet the confused eyes of his sister and mother.

"Heh, sorry but I gotta go, Ma. My guys need me, ya know how it is Ma." He grinned and patted his mother's back as he tried to step past her but was grabbed up in a bone crushing hug.

"Oh, my poor Shun'u! Those dirty bastards should know better than to drag you away when this is the first visit after 3 years! No, I won't allow it!"

Tasuki gasped and fought to get away but ended up pleading with his sister to distract their mother long enough for him to slip out the door.

Aidou sighed and shook her head, "Ma, weren't you going to make him breakfast? He's looking very thin, you know."

That did it.

In the next instant, Tasuki was free and barely caught the ends of his mother's old nightdress as she fairly flew down the hall to get her poor baby some food. Tasuki grinned at Aidou, "Ya know, if'n ya keep bein' nice t'me I'm gonna start thinkin' ya _like_ havin' me as yer brother." He patted her head and swept out of the room, through the house on silent feet and out the front door.

The early morning air was cool on his skin as he stepped into the barn. Gathering his clothes, he dressed as fast as he could. He peeked around the doorframe of the barn, making sure that he could make his escape before his Ma could catch him again.

With a grin, Tasuki breathed deeply and set his heels on the path to his beloved mountain. Dust kicked up behind him and if he were to listen hard enough he could hear his mother's screaming protests fading into the distance.

The path up the mountain was familliar, having travelled it many times over the years. He was in his element, Tasuki decided as he raced up the path. Wind brushing back his wild hair, tearing at his jacket, stinging his skin as he became no more than a black and white blur.

He could smell the stench of death long before he reached his Stronghold, but determinedly charged onward. He had to see it for himself. Had to make sure that his nose wasn't lying to him. Had to destroy all doubt over the validity of Kouji's story.

The roof of the 'hold came into view, the smell of decay and gore filling his nostrils and made his feet slow. He didn't want to see... But he had no choice. He had to be sure that there were no survivors.

His eyes dropped to the path, desperate for just a few more minutes of not having to face the reality of things, when he noticed several sets of foot prints in the dirt.

Were these the tracks of the ones who had done what Kouji and his nose told him had been done? Were these survivors? Raiders? He stopped, following the footprints with his eyes. He glared at the tracks in the loose dirt and gravel, noting that they went towards the back of the mountain and -if the length between the prints were any measure- at a fast rate. Running away? From what? Guilt or fear?

He growled and charged off, following the tracks with a determined glint in his eyes. Someone would be answering some questions.

There was the easy way... then there was the bandit way. Only they could choose; part of him hoped that they chose the bandit way.

Hotohori went silent when he heard the footsteps rushing up from behind them. "Get down" he whispered to Tetsuya, pushing him into the bushes. He ducked behind a large tree, waiting for whatever-it-was to run up.

The footsteps were fast, but careless. Laboured breathing was making a great deal of noise, revealing the position of whatever approached. His years hunting would prove to be more important than he realized.

He unsheathed his sword and stepped into the path just as the man approached. Pointing the blade directly at him, Hotohori eyed the man. He was nothing terribly frightening. Firey hair, fangs, a big fan... clearly a bandit.

"Stop, right there. Are you part of this group of bandits? How is it you survived?"

Tasuki skidded to a stop and glared at the man that had stepped into his path.

His clothes marked him as a nobleman, even though he was obviously trying to impersonate someone of lower class. His eyes narrowed as he concidered what the stranger said.

_How did I survive? This bastard knows what happened at th' 'Hold!_

"Did you have anything to do with it? Did you help massacer my men? Who th' fuck are you and what th' hell are ya doin' on _MY_ mountain?!" he brushed aside the stranger's questions, they weren't important.

"This mountain belongs only to Suzaku and myself. You should watch your tongue."

Tasuki drew the tessen, holding it out in front of him protectively. "Answer me, goddamnit!"

"So you are a bandit, then." He kept a careful eye on the man, unsure of what he would do. "If those men were friends of yours I am truly sorry. We arrived far too late to help them." The man before him was visibly upset... perhaps he knew of Miaka's friend?

"Do you perhaps know a bandit named Kouji? I did not see him amongst the fallen. I'm sure at least he is unharmed."

Tasuki nearly growled at the tone the stranger used but stopped once he said Kouji's name. "How th' hell do ya know about Kouji? Are you th' reason th' monk hadda take 'im to th' palace t'see Mitsukake?"

Now he was really confused. This man knew far too much about the celestial warriors. Perhaps this was all some sort of scam? "Kouji is a friend of... a girl We care deeply about. She is the reason why We're here. Perhaps you know a girl named Miaka?"

Tasuki sheathed his tessen and stalked forward, grabbing two fists full of the stranger's tunic. "How th' hell do ya know about her?" his voice was deadly quiet, his eyes narrowed to mere slits.

Hotohori didn't want to stab the man. To do so would render him completely useless to them. "I ought to know her, she was staying with me for a time. I am one of her protectors," the mark on his neck began to glow and Hotohori grew more angry, unused to being manhandled. "Are you responsible for her disappearance?"

"What are ya talkin' about? Disapearance? She's at th' goddamned palace seein' some Hotowhorey or some shit! I saw her an hour ago! Chiri took her, Tama an' Kouji back to th' palace t'get fixed up. He's comin' back here t'help me find th' beast thing what ate my men, y'aho!" Tasuki growled and released the stranger, pushing him backwards and drawing his tessen once more.

"Sounds t'me like you know far too much 'bout my friends. I'll have yer name afore'n I char-broil ya, stranger."

After the shove, his patience had expired. "You are going to regret having done that, bandit. My name shouldn't matter now, but I shall let you know the name of the beautiful man who is going to kill you."

With quick, swift movements he was at the bandit's back, sword to his throat. "I am the Emperor Saihitei. Also known as Hotohori, one of the seven celestial warriors."

Tasuki flinched, then growled. The man was fast, but not quite as fast as he was. He gripped the man's hand and drew it upwards, spinning around so that he could place the sword at Saihitei's throat. "Well, mister Emperer," he growled into the man's ear, "I'm Genrou and this is my mountain. I'm th' boss around here..." he trailed off, his hold on the other man slackening.

"Wait, did you say 'Hotohori?'" he turned the man around, searching his face. "Mi-chan's Hotohori? Th' one Chiri-chan said he was takin' Mi-chan t'see?"

"Yes, Hotohori. Miaka and Kouji were taken by a beast-man we've been tracking. The beast showed up looking for Miaka moments earlier, which thankfully means he lost her."

He took a deep breath, then continued. "Thank Suzaku that she is now safe! I don't know what I would have done had she been harmed... Unfortunately, the beast-man has taken her brother. We lost him here."

With a sword at this throat, Hotohori had only one choice. He hated to do it, but the life of an Emperor was immeasurably valuable. As hard and fast as possible he kicked his leg outwards, connecting with the groin of the bandit.

Tasuki crashed to the ground, cupping his offended jewels. He rolled, face in the dirt and his backside in the air, heaving for breath. "Kkk.... sh...it." agony coursed through him, he couldn't focus on anything but the throbbing pain in his most sensitive spot.

The man was quite immobilized now. Tapping him with his foot, Hotohori sheathed his sword. "I think I broke him. You're safe to come out now Tetsuya."

Tetsuya's head popped out from the bushes and swiveled back and forth as he took in the scene. He suppressed a wince. Though he couldn't argue the effectiveness of the Emperor's move, Tetsuya did wonder why Hotohori hadn't chosen any other less painful ways of subduing the bandit.

"Okay," he said after a moment. He climbed out of his hiding place and stood, brushing off dirt and stray leaves. "Now what?"

"If Kaen has taken care of the beast-man, we will be able to return to the palace. Miaka is waiting for us there, if what this man says can be believed."

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. To get back to Miaka would be most important now. "I think we'd better take this one with us too. If Miaka does know him, she'll be happy to see him. Keisuke is going to be relieved to hear his sister is safe. When we return, the first thing I'm going to do is see her."

He looked to the sky, into the distance. He could make out the capital far in the distance. Miaka...

He tapped Genrou with his foot again. "You'll be coming back to the capital with us. Tell me, is Miaka okay?"

Tasuki growled and got slowly to his feet, "She's arright, just a bit battered from t'beastman maulin' her. Chiri said that Mits c'd heal her."

He grimaced and rolled onto his back, levering himself to his knees so that he could glare at the man who continuously prodded him with his foot.

"Where's th' beastman? I got two scores t'settle with 'im; one fer Mi-chan an' another for my men. He deserves a bandit-style ass whippin', an' I intend t'give 'im one."

Of all the things he'd lived through in the last few days, this hurt the worst. Arrows of pain lanced through him, begining at the point of impact and running along his nerves like lightning to pound in the back of his skull.

"Kitsune-chan... er, Chichiri's comin' here soon as he get's everybody healed up. Soon as I kick this beastman's ass, I gotta go start buryin' my men... or what's left of 'em."

Several possible replies to the bandit's question ran through Tetsuya's head before he settled on: "He went that way. Look for a hopping mad amazon warrioress and the beastman will probably be near."

He pointed in the direction they'd originally been heading before the bandit had caught up to them. It probably wasn't a very smart move, but Tetsuya had learned that when dealing with angry people, it was best to give them a target to blow off steam. He still had questions, but in the state the bandit was in, he doubted he'd really get any answers now. Who was this Chichiri? Or 'Mits'? And, of course, there was still the all-important 'Was Keisuke all right?'

Tasuki gave thanks for the added abilities his speed gave him -completely ignoring the fact that he'd been cursing it only last night when it came to his imbibing of alcohol- and sighed in relief as the intense ache dulled to a low throb.

He smirked at the shaded one, one fang peeking over his bottom lip. "Hoppin' mad Amazon chick, that way ya said, ne?" his smirk widened as he nodded his head in the direction he'd been traveling in to begin with.

"Thanks, man. See ya!" he unsheathed his tessen and vanished in a burst of speed, being sure to knock Hotohori aside as he dashed past.

He moved as fast as he could, dodging this way and that around random obstacles in his path; it was good to be intimatly familliar with this particular path, it gave him the freedom to use every inch of speed at his disposal.

Just as he was begining to enjoy his mad dash, though, the forms of two people came into view and he slowed.

"Yo! You th' Amazon chick?" he asked the red-headed warrior woman who was bent over a sandy-blonde male.

_Hotohori_ followed, gesturing for Tetsuya to come along also. Hopefully Kaen had saved Keisuke and taken care of the problem of the beast-man. When they met up with the other half of their party he was relived to find her helping Keisuke. Unfortunately, the annoying bandit was still there.

"Glad to see you're all right. Apparently this... man... knows Miaka. She has returned to the palace so we will head back immediately. He will join us as well, to confirm that he's not any danger to Miaka."

Kaen wasn't certain what on earth was going on with the foreigner. Maybe he was more badly wounded than she'd originally thought - or so gently bred that he couldn't stand the brief strain of what had happened.

She was even less certain what she should do when he touched her hand. By all rights, she should probably strike him for being so familiar with her. But... that seemed like a bad idea, considering his current state. And really, she didn't seem to mind all that much, which was even stranger.

Kaen swallowed, almost convulsively, but was saved from having to react to Keisuke by a loud, annoying, and rude intervention. One with orange hair.

She slipped her hand from under the foreigner's, briefly pressing his down on the makeshift bandage with two fingers. "Hold it firmly," she said.

Then she turned to face this new... person, her sword ringing as she drew it smoothly. There was no mistaking her threatening posture - or her steady hand - as she turned toward the man with orange hair.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice cold, "I don't think I quite caught that, scum. What were you calling me?"

"Keisuke!" Tetsuya relaxed in relief at the sight of his friend, still in one piece. "Good to see you're still alive."

Keisuke looked more than a little zoned out. Tetsuya couldn't bring himself to blame his friend, all things considered. The wound looked bad, but Kaen didn't seem too worried, so he supposed it wasn't serious. He briefly wondered if Keisuke was even all there with them--he wouldn't be too surprised if his friend ended up keeling over, whether in shock, pain, fatigue, or a mixture of all.

"Miss Kaen," he said formally, "Thank you for rescuing him."

He briefly wondered if that would be enough to distract her from her irritation with the bandit. Probably not. Even money said she hadn't registered his statement at all.

Kaen spared one glance to the foreigner's friend as he arrived and spoke. "I do my duty," she said.

Tasuki frowned, his brow furrowing in thought.

"It ain't nice fer women t'be so damned rude. What kinda language is that fer a lady?" he eyed her sword for a moment before glancing back up at her face. "Women an' weapons don't mix, lady. Give yer boyfriend his sword back a'fore ya hurt yerself."

He didn't spare a glance at the other people arriving on the scene, all that he worried about was a frightened female with a sword. Looking down at the sandy-blonde male at her feet, he sighed.

"Ain't it bad enough ya almost chopped his head off. Gimme that damned sword a'fore ya hurt yerself!"

Kaen decided, halfway through the orange haired man's speech, that he was too stupid to be allowed to live. She was annoyed and frustrated. She had no idea who this fool was, but he'd chosen the exact wrong moment to display his insanity.

And he didn't even deserve the honor of dying by her sword. Let him perish like a beast.

In one smooth motion, she sheathed her sword, then pulled her bow from her back. It was strung an instant later. She took out an arrow, drew, and fired, aiming to shave a strip of hair off of his head.

If he was no better than a beast, then he ought to get a chance to run like one.

Tasuki's eyes bulged from their sockets as the woman expertly strung her bow, nocked an arrow, and fired in rapid succession.

The arrow whizzed past his ear and he flinched, his hand going up to touch where the arrow had grazed him. He found a small patch of hair had been taken from directly above his ear.

"What th' hell is your problem, onna!?" he screamed at her.

Tetsuya felt his grin freeze in place as the bandit's lunacy (or was a better word for it 'idiocy?') registered. In the back of his mind, he contemplated starting up a betting pool on odds for the man's survival for the next few hours. There probably wouldn't be many takers--for one, he doubted anyone would put their money on the bandit no matter how high the odds were. For another, except for their little party, there wasn't anyone around in this wilderness.

Even as Kaen started on expressing her displeasure, Tetsuya turned to Hotohori and said as nonchalantly as he could, "As entertaining as this might be, I think that man should be left alive." He spared one glance over his shoulder as the antics really began. "Um...Your Highness, I really would appreciate ideas on how to stop Lady Kaen."

"As would I, Tetsuya." The Emperor shook his head. He needed to stop Kaen somehow. When she fired another arrow at the bandit, he took control.

"Enough!" He hated to use his commanding voice, but the situation called for it.

"Kaen-san, I understand the... rudeness this man has shown you, but he must be left alive, for now. If we return to the capital and find he has lied to us then I shall give you the honor of performing his execution. For now, we need him alive." He grabbed the bandit by the arm, pulling him back and out of the way of the arrow.

"As for you, there's nothing more to say now. Miaka's brother Keisuke is safe, which is all we need at the moment. We're returning to the palace to see if you tell the truth about Miaka." He gestured for Tasuki to lead the way back to the camp.

"Che! I ain't lyin'. I got a fuckin' mark t'prove it!" he growled and tugged up the sleeve of his jacket, bareing his arm and allowing the rest of the group to see the red glowing kanji. "See? I'm fuckin' Tasuki, aho!"

Just wonderful. This guy was one of Miaka's protectors also. Why did Suzaku pick someone like this? He was almost a worse choice than Kouji.

Now that the fight was ended, Hotohori noticed a strange tension between Keisuke and Kaen. He needed to lighten the mood a little, since the bandit was stuck with them (or perhaps it was the other way around) for a time.

"I shall introduce the members of our party. I am Hotohori, as you know. This is Kaen. The other two are foreigners from Miaka's world. There is Miaka's brother, Keisuke, and his friend Tetsuya."

He knelt by Keisuke, examining his injuries. "The superficial wounds will heal, but the doctor at the palace can speed up the process for you. Kaen, help him walk if needed. We will return now."

"Tetsuya!" Keisuke called. The sight of someone 'real' gave him a foot in reality. He grabbed him in an embrace and wibbled pitifully.

"I thought I was gonna die," he said.

He let go and wobbled to the ground. This guy, Tasuki, said that his sister was safe at the palace. How that had happened, he couldn't begin to fathom, but he was beginning to roll with the strange series of events in this 'alternate reality' they'd jumped into.

He adjusted the cloth on his neck and looked up at Kaen.

"I'm okay, I can walk. But I could use some coffee," he said, fully realizing that coffee was hardly a faint blip of a thought in this world.

Tasuki allowed his anger to drain away in favor of asking the first question that came to mind. "Cough-eey? Ya wanna be sick? What kinda baka wants t'be sick?" he shook his head and sighed.

"I don't think they have any coffee here, but they do have tea. Lots of tea." Tetsuya refrained from saying that Keisuke knew that as well as he did--the shock to his system had probably flushed trivial details like that right out his friend's head.

Hotohori looked at Tasuki, trying to figure out what to say. If the bandits on this mountain were his friends, better he not know for certain which direction the beast man responsible for this massacre had gone. "I offer my assistance in honoring your fallen friends if you would like it. If not, we'll wait for you and return to the palace together."

"Th'e rest of ya c'n help with th'burial if'n ya wanna, but not weirdo-boy here. I'unn care if'n he is Mi-chan's aniki; anybody who wants t'be sick ain't right in th'head." He nodded and turned on his heel, heading back towards the men who awaited burial at his stronghold.

Chichiri zipped back toward Mount Reikaku, and in a matter of moments, his kasa appeared in midair, floating above Tasuki's head as he took his first step back up the mountain. A chibi upside-down Chichiri peeked out from inside the hat and waved.

"Da! Tasuki, you don't look eaten or maimed, no da. That's a good sign, no da!"

The kasa drifted to the ground and Chichiri filled in the space below it until he was wearing his hat properly.

"Ready to go back, no da?" he asked, but as soon as he asked, he noticed the group standing behind his bandit-friend.

"Hotohori-sama?" he cried, scrambling up to him.

"The palace is worried sick about you, no da! Everyone's been searching frantically for you, no da. If I hadn't filled in for you during the morning meetings, I don't know what would've happened, no da," he frowned, obviously miffed, "Those were the most boring hours of my life I've ever spent, no da."

It was then that he saw the woman standing nearby, and the two familiar foreign men.

"Kaen-san!" Chichiri smiled, "I'm glad you've managed to take care of our foreigners, no da. Looks like Keisuke-kun might be a little worse for wear though, no da."

He whipped off his kesa and laid it out on the dirt. He looked at the foreigners and motioned toward it.

"Sit down here, and you'll be back in the palace in a minute, no da. Then we'll have Mitsukake look at you too. He's got a full boat today, no da."

Tasuki's eyes widened as the monk appeared and began taking charge of their little entourage.

While the kitsune monk got everyone ready for transmission back to the palace, Tasuki did a private little bandit dance. _'Thank you Suzaku! Now, I ain't gotta travel with th'weirdness bunch. I swear by Suzaku's clawed feet, I won't drink no more... well, no more'n what it takes.'_

Unable to contain his joy at finally seeing a friendly face in all of this madness, Tasuki ran up behind the monk and hugged him tight enough that he could have sworn that he heard the monk's back pop. "It's damned good t'see ya, Kitsune-chan!"

"Chichiri-san!" Hotohori was also thrilled to see him; it meant a speedy return to his palace. He felt a little guilty for running off, though.

"The meetings are usually quite boring. I quite doubt you managed to capture all my beauty in your disguise, but I'm glad you were able to help out."

Tetsuya was about to speak when Chichiri made his own...unique...appearance. He spent a long moment splitting his gaze between the man and the hat, barely registering the monk's words to the others. Did the monk just...? Had Testuya really seen...? Eventually he roused himself enough to look at Keisuke and Kaen with a wooden expression.

"You'd think that by now I'd be used to magical things happening," he commented to no one in particular. "Instant transport to the palace through a hat. Why not?"

Kaen unstrung her bow and stowed it, then gave the bandit one last withering look. "Insult me again, and I'll make you into a eunuch," she said. Technically that wouldn't be disobeying the Emperor, who she now owed a debt to. She was unimpressed when he revealed himself to be a warrior for his god. All it meant to her was that his god had decidedly poor taste.

She actually smiled when Houjun arrived. "He's alive," she said, and shrugged. Considering he'd been taken by a monster, you couldn't really ask for more than that.

The Emperor didn't quite know how to tell Chichiri what had happened up here on this mountain or the strange realization he had come to regarding Miaka. Getting the foreigners back was a good idea. "Kaen-san, why don't you take Keisuke and Tetsuya through to the palace? Tasuki and I will follow along shortly thereafter."

"I will do so," she told Hotohori. Considering she'd appointed herself the guardian of at least one of the foreigners, it would be best to stick with them. And remove herself from the temptation of cutting a certain someone's head off...

She turned her attention back to the foreigners, and Houjun. Absently, she reached out and patted Keisuke on the back, to encourage him. "Come on," she said. She stepped onto the kesa, pulling Keisuke along with her by the simple expedient of grabbing his sleeve.

Keisuke was still thinking about tea when the monk appeared. Tea. Tea wasn't so bad. It wasn't his first choice, but at least it contained the much coveted caffeine. He was fighting to keep his eyes open as it was.

Keisuke was dubious at best about the idea of instant teleportation, but after seeing Houjun pop out of a hat, his ideas of what were possible vs. what was reality were crumbling and falling on his head.

Tugged along by Kaen, he had no choice but to follow.

Hotohori pulled Chichiri aside and whispered the situation with the bandits to him. "I will assist with the burial and then the rest of us will go back to the palace as well. My beloved Miaka needs the support of her seishi now. We should hurry and get back."

"Anou... Hotohori-sama," he whispered, "I'll help Tasuki-kun bury the dead, no da. Miaka-sama is very worried about you, no da."

_And you're in the middle of a very important meeting._

"I'll return as well, then. I expect you two will be along shortly." The Emperor nodded and dropped through the kesa, eager to return to the palace.

Tetsuya watched as first Kaen, then Keisuke, and finally Hotohori stepped into the hat and disappeared. One corner of his lips quirked in a small smile.

"You'd think they forgot about me," he murmured almost amusedly. He didn't hold it against any of them, though. They all had far more important things to be dwelling on, and it wasn't like he didn't what to do next or couldn't do it on his own. He looked from the hat to the monk (it wasn't until now that he connected the dots and recognized the man as the same one who'd fished him out of the courtyard pool) and continued in a louder voice, "I'll see you back at the palace, then." He glanced down the path. "I just hope that other guy won't run off later."

With a last jaunty wave, he stepped into the kesa and dropped out of sight.

Tasuki waved cheerily as each one dropped into the kesa and once the last had vanished, he turned and began his trek back to the former bandit den.

It didn't take long to get there, and the sight that met him turned his stomach. Body parts and gore splashed every wall, floor, stair way, and there was even spatter on the high ceilings. He shivered in disgust and shrugged out of his coat.

Digging a pit that was large enough for the remaining pieces of his men wasn't all that hard to do, nor was the decision as to where to dig; in front of the old leader's tomb.

Too bad it was only his legs that was gifted with the winged god's speed, else he could have gathered the men and put them to rest much faster. As it was, he was half way through with the first floor and was already drenched in congealing blood and other bits that he refused to inspect too closely.

After dropping the others off, Chichiri arrived back at the mountain. His legs felt heavy as he ascended the final steps toward the decimated stronghold. The bandits were massacred. Their bodies were shredded by the beastman's claws. Their blood painted the walls red. Just like Hakko. For a moment, the monk stood watching Tasuki bury his friends.

"Need a hand, no da?"

He walked up beside his new friend and pulled his mask off.

Tasuki glanced up at Chichiri and smiled softly, covered in gore the way he was he knew he looked a sight. "Thanks, I'd like that. You're welcome to help on the ground floor or go upstairs and start there."

He was heart sick. These men had been here at the 'hold long before he had been, had helped to raise him, taught him weapons and fighting, how to drink and not get sick... They were all like surrogate fathers to him.

"Chichiri, thanks for offering to help me. I don't know if I'd have been able to hold it together if I were all alone."

It felt strange to have his face naked to the air, all of his expressions open to interpretation. But there was no mistaking the black look on his face and the gentle sympathy in his eyes.

"I'll work upstairs, no da," Chichiri said, placing a hand on Tasuki's shoulder, "If you need me, come get me, no da."

Hopefully, this would save Tasuki some of the sight that would await up there.

Carefully, he picked his way around the bodies littering the hallway and headed for the stairs. There were even bodies on the stairway, mangled and contorted, shoved up against the steps. He scooped up an arm, shorn off at the shoulder, and placed it with the rest of its owner's body, before grabbing the unshaven bandit around the waist.

He carried him outside and placed him in the freshly dug grave. Time passed by in a wave of blood and nausea. When he finished, he stood staring not at the covered graves, but at the bandit who mourned the dead. He said nothing. There was nothing to say.

Tasuki prayed quietly before the graves of his men, tears tracking down his cheeks. They had finally finished putting the dead to rest and now was the time to mourn.

He could feel Chichiri standing behind him and thanked him silently for allowing him a few extra minutes to say his final goodbyes.

He bowed his head and sighed, getting to his feet he wiped the tears from his cheeks. "Let's go get cleaned up. Miaka and Hotohori will shit a gold brick if we show up covered in... this."

He kept his face averted and led the way to the hot springs situated behind the compound. It was usually filled with laughter and talk but now it was stone silent.

He rushed through washing, deciding to just jump in fully dressed and scrub at his clothes with some silt from the bottom. Angry tears cascaded down his cheeks but were lost in the splash of water as he scrubbed furiously at his clothes.

Chichiri removed his shirt and spread it out over the water. Water pooled on top of it and pushed it downward. He let it soak for awhile before wringing it out. He held it up and frowned at it. On a white shirt, the blood would stain, and there wasn't much he could do about that now.

His pants followed into the spring, with similar results. They'd show up at the palace, sopping wet, and in clothes smelling vaguely of blood and sand, and if Miaka-sama saw them in that state, there's really nothing they could do to explain it away.

"Tasuki-kun," he looked up as he called his name, and stopped before saying anything else.

Tasuki was rubbing at his clothes so fiercely he just might ignite it. Water clung to his clothing and plastered his orange hair to his head. His fury was visible in the rough way he handled his cleansing. His anguish was so great, he could almost see it rising from his shoulders.

He wished he could give him more time to digest this. His entire world had been taken from him by the hands of one beastman. His eyes narrowed. Once Miaka-sama was back in her world, he wouldn't be opposed to helping Tasuki hunt him down.

His gaze dropped back into the water. His heart was heavy with the weight of his silence.

"It might be a better idea to head back to the palace, no da. I'll make sure we're nowhere near the Emperor's chambers, no da. We can get a change of clothes there, no da."

Tasuki scrubbed at his clothes, the skin underneath becoming raw and red. He didn't hear Chichiri at first, lost in misery and trying to scrub away the memory of the last hour along with the gore that stained his shirt.

Finally, Chichiri's voice pierced through the haze of anger and sadness and Tasuki looked up at him in confusion. "Change of clothes?" he glanced down at his shirt then back up to the monk. "Yeah, new clothes. Okay."

He agreed as if in a fog, his movements slow and measured as he drug himself out of the springs. "Let's go, Chichiri, I don't wanna see this place for awhile. Just be sure Mi-chan don't see us."


	23. Chapter 22

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Imperial Palace of Konan

Hotohori felt himself roughly drop onto the hallway floor of the palace. He was outside his bedroom. Inside he could see Miaka, Mitsukake, Chiriko and (ugh) Kouji. He smiled as he began to walk in the room.

Hands on his arms pulled him back. "Wha…?"

"Your Highness! We've been waiting for you for a very long time." His counselors didn't look too pleased. They were all standing there, looking at him with ugly, tired faces.

"You were... waiting for me?" He realized that Chichiri must have snuck off to go find them. So much for avoiding the daily meetings.

"You said you went to the toilet. Are you all right? You were gone a long time."

"Err... I'm..." How could he turn this around and not be embarrassed? "I caught my reflection in a mirror and mistook it for a beautiful woman. When I realized it was actually my reflection I was near heartbroken."

The counselors looked at each other, confused and suspicious. They would never say the Emperor was lying though. "If you please sir, we must discuss these matters with you. Come along."

He was dragged away from the door, helpless as he watched Miaka lying there in his bed. As soon as he could get away he would go straight to her side. This meeting better not take him very long.

***

Kaen was unbothered by the sudden change in location; the monk had transported her like that before, after all. And if any man was trustworthy, the monk would be it. She kept her hand on the foreigner's arm until she was certain he was steady on his feet, then let him go.

There were servants. They'd take care of him. And she wasn't certain what else she ought to do. She felt very off balance about the whole thing.

...and still very annoyed at having to let the monster get away.

A bath seemed in order; they'd been climbing up a mountain. And that might help her collect her thoughts as well. Still, she paused, lingering for a moment to make certain that there would be no problems.

To say that Tetsuya was overwhelmed would be an overstatement. He wasn't unaffected--after all, it was not every day that one could TRAVEL THROUGH A HAT--but the experience hadn't made the impression he'd expected it to. He wasn't sure himself what the reason might be. Worry for Keisuke and his wounds? Certainly, there was that, but not to the point that it would drive Tetsuya to distraction. Concern for Miaka? Maybe, but he knew she was all right, according to what Hotohori and Tasuki had said. The sequence of events that had led all of them from the mountain to this palace? It was true that they were still sinking into his mind and that he still needed time to process them, but they weren't weighty enough to club him into near catatonia. (That was in itself a surprise--only a few days ago, he probably would've gone into shock just at the sight of the beastman.)

So. Why was he standing here in the middle of the corridor like a moron right now? And why was Kaen standing there too?

Wait. Kaen?

He shook his head slightly, rousing himself out of his reverie as that last fact registered. He blinked at her back, then took a hesitant step forward, the footfall echoing down the hallway. "Kaen-san? Is anything wrong?"

A door opened and out came Mitsukake. He stopped and stared at the trio gathered outside the door. He recognized the sand-colored hair one, but the other two were new - a woman in armor and a guy with dark glass over his eyes. They were talking amongst themselves, so he didn't need to bother with them.

He did, however, notice that the sand-hair had gotten himself hurt. He sighed and closed his eyes. He couldn't just pass him by. He walked to Keisuke's side, and Keisuke looked up at him.

"You... you're the drunk doctor."

Mitsukake's eyebrow twitched. He grabbed Keisuke's arm and yanked his hand away from his neck. There was a pretty nice gash underneath, but nothing too serious. It looked to be caused by a set of claws, like the ones that had sliced up Suzaku no Miko. That beastman sure got around.

He set his kanji alight and warm red chi healed the wound. Keisuke did nothing but stare. When the glow died down, he reached up and touched his neck. This was impossible. Amazing and impossible. But then, hadn't he just taken a trip to the palace that had been a days-long trek in the space of a few minutes? This world was filled with magical possibilities that only existed in the imaginations of people in his world.

"I don't know if you're here to see me or her, but you better let her rest," Mitsukake said.

Kaen watched the healer see to Keisuke, then gave herself a little shake when she realized she hadn't answered the other foreigner's question. And it was the question, wasn't it. What on earth was she doing, lingering in the hallway by these... males.

Her internal disquiet showed in her puzzled frown, different from her usual, 'I'm a tough Amazon' scowl. "Nothing," she said. "You'll be well protected here. Send a servant if..."

...if what? She was no errand girl, to come at the beck and call of men.

She shook her head. She definitely needed that bath. "Never mind," she said, and walked away.

Tetsuya glanced at Kaen's departing back and briefly wondered what he could possibly say. "I'll... see you later then," he said, hoping it wouldn't sound too presumptive or arrogant.

He turned back to the doctor and tried not to grimace. Instead, he focused on what the man had just said and made a few leaps in logic from context. "C'mon, doc," he said cajolingly. "He's her brother. He's worried sick about her; in fact, he's hurt because he was out looking for her! Just spare a couple of minutes for him to look in on her. Please?"

Keisuke watched Kaen walk away, but Tetsuya's conversation with the doctor drew his attention back.

As Mitsukake was considering the foreign man's plea, Keisuke spoke up.

"Miaka's in there? Is she all right?"

"She's fine. She only needs to rest," Mitsukake reiterated, "But," he shrugged and waved his hand, "Do what you want."

Mitsukake walked past them and down the hall. Why did he care so much about her well-being anyhow? She'd get some rest if these idiots left her alone for awhile, and she'd recover from this, but something would eventually kill her anyway. It was just the nature of life.

It was probably best to get something to eat, but all he had to do was stop a servant to have food brought to him. Tama mewed.

"And a fish for him too," he instructed.

He opened his mouth to request a bottle of sake along with that, but this time, he refrained. A glance out a window proved to him that nighttime would soon be approaching. He hadn't realized that he'd slept for so long this morning. He retired to his room for a meal and some silent contemplation.

Keisuke nodded and muttered thanks. He cracked open the door to the Emperor's bedchambers and then snuck quietly into the room.

Tetsuya wasn't quite sure how to interpret the doctor's seemingly-casual dismissal of his own patient. At least this meant they could go in now, as long as they didn't disturb her too much.

"Right," he said, staring after Mitsukake's back as the doctor left as well, the second person to disappear down the corridor in as many minutes. "Guess I'll just..."

He turned to find that Keisuke had already disappeared, likely into the room to see his sister the moment the doctor had given permission. There was no one else in the hallway except Tetsuya. For the briefest second, he contemplated following Keisuke into the room, and then decided against it. This was family time for the two siblings.

"...stand here and make sure no one _else_ barges in on her," he told the door without missing a beat. The wooden paneling didn't reply, but he hadn't expected any. Shrugging, he leaned against the wall next to the door, taking up watch.

Keisuke slid into the Emperor's bedroom with hardly a sound. Sitting there, holding Miaka's hand, was her brain dead bandit friend. Anger rose up in his throat, but he swallowed it down.

Calmly, he walked up beside him, and whispered, "Is she all right?"

Kouji nearly jumped out of his skin. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, releasing Miaka's hand.

"Yeah. She went through hell an' back, but she's okay now."

Miaka rubbed her eyes and slowly blinked them into focus. Keisuke was standing in the room, talking with Kouji. Her eyes filled up with tears as she she sat straight up.

"Keisuke-niichan!"

She threw her arms around him in a hug. She should have listened to her brother on more than one occasion. To hear that he'd bravely gone off after her was terrifying. He wasn't a fighter by any means...

"I was so worried about you! I'm sorry, niichan! I should have listened to you more. I'm so sorry!" she sobbed, happy and sad at the same time, as she held onto her brother.

Keisuke held Miaka to his chest tightly. He closed his eyes and placed a hand on the back of her head. He had no idea how it happened, but she was completely safe. Kouji said she'd been through a lot, and he didn't doubt it. He'd tangoed with the beastman himself, and it was no picnic. But she was safe, and with that burden lifted from his shoulders, he almost felt like he could float.

"Miaka," he said soothingly, "I'm just glad you're safe."

He pulled away and put his hands on her cheeks. He smiled gently down at her and brushed the tears away with his thumb.

"We'll be going home soon. The doctor said you need to rest. Everything's going to be all right."

In his heart, he was still worried for Yui-chan. Not to mention he had no idea how they were actually getting back to Tokyo. But he couldn't let Miaka know that. He'd find a way to take care of it for her. That's what big brothers were for, right?

Miaka rubbed at her eyes with her sleeve and lay back against the pillows again. "Right." She was fortunate to have an older brother. Especially one that was so kind to her.

"Keisuke, I have a favor to ask." She wasn't sure how to put it exactly, but it was important. "I'll be summoning Suzaku soon. I... I don't really know how to do it or what's going to happen, though. Would you and Tetsuya be able to see if they have any books about it here so you could research it for me?"

Keisuke didn't like this. Not at all. Summoning some god inside this world sounded dangerous. Still, if it was their way home, and she was going to do it, she was right. He should find out as much as he could about it.

He nodded.

"We'll look for the library."

He placed a hand on her forehead.

"You just rest."

***

Hotohori was being prepared for a very important meeting. This meeting could save them all without the help of Gods or Priestesses. Perhaps it was over dramatic, but he could see no greater importance for them now. Thank goodness Chichiri had resolved all the boring matters for him. The most important details were always the last ones. They had already been in this meeting for hours, what was one or two more?

"Your Highness, how shall we proceed?" The frog-faced man was yammering on about trivial matters. Did it matter whether they decorated with red or blue fabrics? Was it important to serve their own food or should they attempt their visitors? It was all unimportant. None of that would stop a war.

"Does it really matter? This has been a long time coming. Use both colors, both dinners... do nothing to offend. The emissary from Kutou is set to arrive when?"

"Tomorrow, sire. We don't know whom they've sent but word has it that..."

"I don't want to bother myself with gossip. I'll meet him when I do. That's all that matters at present. Be prepared, but no one is to let on we're prepared for our summoning. We will wait until the day after next to summon Suzaku. Miaka may not have to wish for peace after all."

_If all goes as I hope, she won't need to summon Suzaku at all._

"As you will it, sire, but if he is to arrive tomorrow should we not begin to prepare now?"

He sighed and flipped back his hair. "Of course. Prepare the next best guest room, don't uproot Miaka-sama. Get everything ready for his arrival. Make sure everyone is aware that we have an important guest from Kutou arriving and to behave their best. No alcohol for the Doctor."

He clapped his hands in dismissal and the men scurried off to complete their menial tasks. This meeting was desperately important, but Miaka was the only thing on his mind now. Just a little while longer, a few more documents to sign, then he'd be at her side.

Nuriko had redressed quickly, dabbing a little makeup here and there as the servant girl quickly did his hair up just as it used to be put up during his stay at the palace prior. As soon as the servant finished, Nuriko turned, rushing out the door. He was Kourin once again as he traveled down the hallway with an elegance as he had mastered.

He heard some drabble in the meeting room up ahead and the beautiful sound of the Emperor. Grinning, he ambled up to the door, which was cast open as the men left. He bowed as he entered.

"Emperor-sama." he said, still bowing.

Hotohori heard a familiar voice and lifted is head from the work before him to see who it was. "Ah, Kourin! Come in," he gestured she come forward.

She was looking beautiful, dressed in the usual palace finery. A vision of loveliness... almost so beautiful as him. He continued to sign and read documents. "To what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

Rising from his bow, Nuriko smiled with refined elegance.

"Emperor-sama," he said softly, moving closer to the Emperor, peering over at the array of documents, "I had Kouji-kun bathed and dressed and he is with Miaka-sama as we speak. I asked him to apologize to Miaka-sama and you, your Majesty.

With a careful look at the royal retainers, Nuriko sighed. Would he ever get to be with the Emperor? Oh, the thought passed Nuriko's mind on numerous occasions, surely. But would it ever happen?

"Thank you, Kourin. I understand that bandits are uncultured so I expect no apology. The one we met on the mountain with red hair... well, he's lucky Kaen let him live."

Kourin was a beautiful woman. His heart belonged to Miaka, and no other woman would turn his head until he knew for certain if she could return his feelings.

"The monk and another bandit will be arriving any time. Please ensure the servants have their rooms ready for them."

Nodding as the Emperor spoke, Nuriko wanted to laugh out loud at the thought of Kaen versus Tasuki. The image of Kaen chopping off limbs came to his boyish mind as the Emperor explained that Tasuki and Chichiri would be arriving at any time.

"Yes, your Majesty," he said softly, falling into a simple bow, "I'll make sure the rooms are ready." The thought of bunking Kouji with Tasuki seemed almost hilarious. On second thought maybe he would need to separate them- nah!

"Tell me... is Miaka feeling any better?"

"I honestly haven't heard much except that a servant told me that she was ordered by the doctor to rest."

"I see. I will check on her after I'm finished my work here. There is a very important emissary from Kutou arriving tomorrow. Please let anyone you see know to be on their best behaviour tomorrow."

He gestured for Kourin to take a seat with him. She was easy to talk to, one of many reasons he enjoyed her company. She was also someone he could trust, but he didn't really know why.

"I am telling you this in the greatest confidence, of course. We do not want to tell this man that Miaka is the Suzaku no Miko or that we are nearly ready for the summoning. It's being planned for the day after tomorrow, depending upon how peace talks go."

He leaned in close to Kourin, whispering in her ear. "Would you like to know a secret, Kourin?"

Nuriko nodded, smiling as he took the offered seat, settling in gently next to his highness. As he spoke of a summoning, Nuriko gasped, trying desperately to hide the shock. Did the Emperor know that he was a seishi? How had they gathered all 7 so quick? The idle processes within Nuriko's mind churned, trying to decipher what the Emperor was hiding.

_Does he know about me already? Oh!!!! Tasuki better have behaved and not revealed too much about me!_

"Yes, your Highness."

He concentrated his energy and closed his eyes. Pulling back the collar of his robe, he revealed to Kourin his secret. He was a Suzaku Seishi.

"I am Hotohori, one of Miaka's seven protectors. The summoning will be a trying affair for everyone involved and who knows if I will live to enjoy the peace it brings us. Kourin, can you love an Emperor who must serve another?"

"Hotohori...." Nuriko whispered softly, glancing away as a blush spread across his cheeks. "Yes, yes I can because I have a secret of my own." Smiling, Nuriko pulled a little of his clothing aside to reveal the mark signifying him as a Seishi.

Nuriko smiled, letting go of the fabric. He and the Emperor were chosen warriors of the God, Suzaku. The summoning really could take place, especially since they had gathered so many!

Kourin was Nuriko. Another seishi, meaning the summoning really could take place! No group would have to scour the countryside searching for the last of the seven. Further still, Nuriko would understand the duty of a Celestial Warrior.

"I am happy to see you are truly one of our group. No wonder I sensed you could be trusted." he hugged her, a friendly embrace.

"I have made a decision regarding the wife I would like to take. But the proposal must wait until later. It's not something to be rushed. Kourin... no, Nuriko, thank you for coming here. I now must finish my work and then attend to Miaka-sama. There will be a great feast for the emissary tomorrow night. If you come looking half as beautiful as today, he may try to steal you away to Kutou."

Nuriko smiled as Hotohori hugged him. Could it really be that she had been chosen as the Emperor's future wife? Blushing, Nuriko stood, pulling away from the embrace.

"Yes, your highness," he said turning for the door with a bow, "I will make sure everyone knows to behave well, especially bandit-cha- I mean the bandits. Thank you."

With that, Nuriko humbly scurried out the door, making for the residences with the biggest grin plastered on her face.

***

Tamahome was playing with Yuiren when a knock sounded at his door. He put down his block and patted her on the head before he got up to answer it.

"Ji-hime" he squeaked.

She was a vision. Exquisite robes, jewels in her hair, a small pout that brightened when he smiled at her. It almost seemed that the sunlight coming through the hall was only there to bathe her in gold. He swallowed back his surprise and stepped out in to the hall.

"You, do you need um.., Can I... er.. Is there something you need?" He stuttered.

"Sou..." she smiled serenely and ventured closer to him.

"I was going to take a walk. It's been so long since I've been at the Emperor's palace. He keeps the most extraordinary gardens. Would you like to escort me?"

"I-I would love to."

Tamahome's head was already pleasantly dizzy with the scent of roses. When she stepped in closer, he felt like he was being whispered something low and sensual by the sunlight. He nodded slowly, smiling down to her.

"Chuei, I'll be right back," he called over his shoulder, "Finish up with Yuiren..."

He closed the door, his fingers sliding off the handle. Tama offered his arm and began walking, never once taking his eyes off her.

Arm in arm, Ji and Tamahome made their way to the Emperor's gardens. The hours were tending to the latter half of the afternoon, and the sun was beginning its downward climb. Ji breathed in the fragrant air of the immaculately kept garden.

Colorful blooms of all kinds greeted them. Ji smiled brightly, her robes trailing along behind her. Running behind the bushes to their left was a river which fed the pond toward the back of the garden. She glanced that way, toward a small gazebo built on a piece of land that jutted out into the water.

The sunlight made the ornaments in her hair glitter. She turned her head and they jingled musically.

"Sou, I wanted to thank you…"

Tamahome snapped out of the haze the landscape had left him in, "Huh? Oh, you really don't have to, Ji-hime." He tried to think about what she could possibly want to thank him for.

"Yesterday, I don't know what I would have done without you," she said, examining a barely blossoming white rose.

"You're welcome, but it wasn't anything really."

Tamahome stood behind her, mesmerized once again by the glinting jewels adorning her hair, and the way the sun gleamed radiantly in the thick black strands. The scent of roses embraced him, and he felt at peace with everything. Tamahome closed his eyes and breathed in the sweet air. The pain in his heart was eased here. Or was it with her?

"Ji-hime." He was reaching out, needing to touch her. "You're beautiful." He breathed out in a whisper. His fingers brushed against her warmly glowing black hair.

He abruptly withdrew his outstretched hand mid-reach, his senses crashing back to him. She was a princess. He had to remember that she shouldn't be touched so casually. His heart was pounding, and he knew his face was red. He forced his gaze towards the roses.

Ji turned around at her name and saw him put his hand back at his side. The blush on his cheeks was obvious, and she could tell his pulse was rising. Typical, really.

"You can just call me Ji," she said, smiling warmly.

She reached out to slip her delicate hand within his. Gently, she tugged him further toward the water, feigning interest in the dainty pink flowers that wound themselves along the gazebo's railing.

Tamahome followed her to the edge of the lake, making sure to keep his face turned away until the only warmth he felt was from the sun. This day was truly a rare beauty.

Once they were inside, she drew her hands up to clasp his arm and leaned her head against his good shoulder. She could smell the soap that Mrs. Kou had cleaned his clothes with. Looking out at the orange-tinted light upon the water, she spoke, "It's been so long since I've been here. I was a little girl when we last visited the capital," she looked nostalgic for a moment, then looked up at him, "I think I'm going to talk to the Emperor. He might be able to help. I might be able to return home," she looked down, "But, I'm a little worried..."

He had just barely gotten the red out of his daze when she slid her arm around his. He reddened again at the feel of her head pressing against his shoulder. Following her gaze over the water, he started feeling more at ease. He nodded to her recollections and began to think of his own life here in the capital.

When she expressed her concern over asking the Emperor, Tamahome turned his gaze back to the top of her hair.

"I wouldn't worry. Miaka has said great things about the Emperor, and he didn't seem all that stern when we bumped into him just a while ago."

He stopped to examine his words. The Emperor was just as the people had described him. Youthful and kind, but no one had ever said that he was so energetic.

"I doubt he would turn away a, um," he caught himself before what he wanted to say slipped by, "Someone who was in need."

Ji shook her head gently.

"It's not that..." she looked up at him with vulnerable amber eyes, "When I met you, I was on my way to meet my fiancé. If I'm restored as a princess, I," she squeezed his arm tightly, "Now that I've met you, I couldn't go through with it."

Out of midair popped Chichiri and Tasuki. For a moment, they hung there, before gravity took hold and dragged them down. Chichiri didn't even have time to look before he was over his head in water. He jetted up to the surface, spit pond water out of his mouth in a long arc, and took a deep breath.

Treading water, he looked around at what appeared to be the pond in the Emperor's gardens. He definitely hadn't meant to plop them in here. He'd meant for them to emerge in the gardens themselves, along one of the pathways, nice and dry. What was going on with his teleportation spells lately? He'd have to make sure that Hotohori-sama and the others made it back to the palace all right.

It then occurred to him that he hadn't heard any complaining.

"Tasuki-kun?" he called, searching for his friend.

Tasuki had fully expected to step out onto firm ground when he'd agreed to follow the monk into the robe, so stepping out into the vast nothingness of open air was enough of a shock to keep him from screaming as he rocketed towards the ground.

The splash and feel of water closing over his head both shocked and frightened him. As he sank to the watery depths he clawed furiously at the water, grasping for anything that would allow him to get out of the water.

He looked up and could see a shadowed outline of a man against the bright light of the sky far above, he yelled out; not the brightest of ideas he soon found.

His lungs began to burn and he clawed at the water more desperately, his legs kicking beneath him ineffectively.

_Damnit! Why do monks bein' around always lead t'me bein' over my head in fuckin' water? THIS SHIT SUCKS!_

When it became apparent that Tasuki wasn't coming to the surface, Chichiri felt a twinge of panic. Couldn't he swim? From the corner of his eye, he spotted bubbles popping on the water. He tossed his staff aside and dove under.

It wasn't long before he saw Tasuki, sinking like a log. He parted the water in front of himself and swam deeper. He grabbed a hold of Tasuki's hand, then turned around, and kicked furiously until they'd made it to the air.

He took in his first breath, took a quick look around, then pulled him along toward the gazebo. He latched onto one of the supporting beams and towed Tasuki toward them.

"Sorry, no da. Something happened with my spell, no da," Chichiri said, catching his breath, "I didn't know you couldn't swim, no da."

Tasuki latched onto Chichiri's neck as soon as his head broke the surface. He heaved in great gasping lungfuls of air and clung to the monk that had tried to drown him.

"What th' hell do ya mean somethin' happened to yer spell?" he grumbled, reaching for the beam in front of them and hauling himself out of the water as fast as he could.

He lay on the deck of the gazebo, hands over his face and trying to calm himself a little before he continued. "I'm a _mountain _bandit, aho! That means I don't see big bodies a water and I sure as fuck don't go swimmin' in 'em! That's it, I ain't NEVER gonna let you drive again. We gotta go anywhere's else together an' I'M drivin'! Ya understand?"

Chichiri picked up his staff (it floated, for occasions such as this), then he climbed up onto the gazebo after Tasuki. Water leaked off the both of them, and Chichiri grabbed his kesa and wrung it out.

"It's not my fault, no da! Something's interfering with my teleportation spell, no da."

He grabbed hold of the end of his mohawk and squeezed the water out. When he let go, it sprung back up.

"Besides, we're at the palace, aren't we, no da?"

"Yeah, we're at the palace an' I damn near died ya crazy fuckin' monk!" He sat up cursing and growling under his breath.

It was then that Chichiri chose to look at his surroundings. Not more than a few feet away, Ji and Tamahome were staring at them. Ji was plastered against him, holding tightly to his clothing, and seemed to be suppressing a scream. Ah, deja vu no da.

"Anou, sorry to interrupt, no da," he said with a slight bow of his head and a sweatdrop.

"Interrupting? What th' hell are ya talkin' about? If ya mean interruptin' my breathin' process..." Tasuki had gotten to his feet as he ranted and noticed that Chichiri was looking out into the gardens. Following the direction of his gaze, Tasuki found Tamahome and Ji-hime wrapped nearly entirely around each other.

He sweatdropped and waved cheerily. "Hey guys! Ya know Tama, it ain't right t'go takin' advantage of Ji-hime that'a way," he gestured to the lovely embrace. "Her papa just died an' ya got yer hands all over her already?" he shook his head and laughed. "Tamahome's a pervert, Ji-hime. Don't go lettin' him paw at ya."

He snickered and elbowed Chichiri in the side, wanting someone else to laugh at his hilarious joke.

Chichiri watched the exchange with a sweatdrop. Was that it, then? It was Tamahome who Tasuki was getting so worked up about, and not Miaka-sama?

"Anou..." was all he could say when Tasuki elbowed him in the ribs.

Tamahome couldn't do more than stare at them since the splash. What were those two doing, splashing around in the lake? And now, Tasuki was laughing at him. His system had suffered a shock, being pulled out of the twilighty half daze he was just in, but he wasn't just going to let Tasuki just barge in and call him names. That was just uncalled for.

He gestured to Ji-hime to wait and he waltzed over to Tasuki, who was clutching at his sides in laughter. An evil grin spread across Tamahome's face and he leaned in.

"A pervert huh?" he sidled up closer to Tasuki and placed a hand on his shoulder, the grin widening and now joined by two devil horns. "Jealous?" he asked casually and then suddenly pushed Tasuki backwards into the water he had just finished drying off.

A satisfied smirk was plastered on his face as he patted off imaginary dust from his hands.

Tasuki's eyes widened, all mirth vanished as Tamahome's snide remark penetrated his brain but he had no time to retort as the other man pushed him back into the water.

He yelled in surprise, most of his air leaving his lungs as the water closed over his head again. He sank like a stone, the sandy bottom seeming to call him downwards.

His lungs burned and he clapped a hand over his mouth and nose to try and stop the urge to draw in much needed breath.

His vision was starting to haze around the edges as he fought to hold his breath, clawing with one hand at the water in hopes of making it to the surface.

His limbs started to feel heavy and slow, his lungs starving for oxygen until finally he gave up.

Blackness filled his vision as his body went slack, drawing in a mouthful of water to feed his starving lungs.

It'd be comical, really, if the bandit didn't have a real danger of drowning in the Emperor's lake.

"Tamahome-kun, I just got him out of the water, no da!" Chichiri reprimanded.

This time, he tossed off his kesa into a pile with his staff, and dove back into the water. Without the extra resistance, he could swim faster. He caught sight of his sinking friend and reached out for his hand, but when he got closer, he realized it wasn't Tasuki at all. His eyes widened and he stopped swimming. The hand belonged to a man with ice blue hair.

_Hikou?_

Slowly, the figure morphed, and he realized that he had hallucinated. He shook his head to clear it and gave himself an extra push. He grabbed Tasuki solidly around the waist, and then propelled himself back to the surface.

He burst through the surface of the water, dragging Tasuki along with him. He could hear no shouting from the sopping wet bandit, which could only mean one thing.

"He's not breathing, no da," Chichiri said, heaving him onto dry land.

He pulled his blood-stained jacket open and touched his damp chest. Heartbeat. Chichiri sighed with relief. He tilted Tasuki's head back with one hand and plugged up his nose with the other. Leaning over him, he pressed his lips to his. He gave his air to Tasuki, hoping it would be enough to revive him.

"I didn't know he couldn't swim," Tamahome hurriedly whispered to whoever while he waited for Tasuki to cough.

Tasuki felt something pressing against his mouth and felt the rush of air into his lungs. He flinched and turned his head, coughing up the water in his chest.

Chichiri pulled away and let out a long breath. His shoulders sagged and he gave a relieved smile.

"Tasuki-kun, are you all right, no da?"

He coughed and sputtered, pushing himself into a sitting position. "Y-yeah, fine." He cut his eyes in Tamahome's direction, glaring at the man who had tried to kill him. "So much for 'brother seishi', ne Chichiri? Looks like it don't matter to _some people_ if Miaka ever gets home."

He got to his feet and pulled the tessen from his back, drawing it over his shoulder. "LREKKA!"

"Stop!" Chichiri cried uselessly.

Miboshi couldn't help the smirk that played on her lips when Tasuki took a dive into the water courtesy of Sou. It didn't much matter that she'd let that slip, after all, since everyone else was too busy dealing with the sinking log. She studied Sou with a touch of admiration.

Unfortunately, as wishes rarely ever came true, the monk returned with the drowned rat and revived him. Out came the fan, and Miboshi was ready to knock it right out of his hands, but as Ji, she had to wince and cling to her new lover's arm.

"Sou!"

"SHIN'EN!" Tasuki flung his arm out, sending the blast of flame out over the lake. "Yer a lucky bastard, Tamahome. It's cause I respect Chichiri that ya ain't ashes right now. If ya had any kinda honor, you'd thank th' man." He pushed past Tamahome and stalked out of the gazebo.

Chichiri closed his eyes and took a moment to just breathe. Once he collected himself, he turned to Tamahome and the princess.

"Tamahome-kun, I don't know what's going on between you two, but you better find a way to resolve it before the ceremony, no da," he warned.

He picked up his kesa and his staff and followed in Tasuki's wake.

A moment of silence passed by, and Ji looked up at Sou with a touch of fear in her eyes.

"Why did he call you Tamahome? What ceremony is he speaking of?" she questioned.

Tamahome was still kneeling on the planks of the Gazebo just staring off as Chichiri hurried to catch up to Tasuki. That was very, VERY much unplanned. He didn't know Tasuki couldn't swim. He had wanted to just tease him a bit.

He slowly got up and faced Ji. "Tamahome is my, well, it's another name I go by." He studied her expression. She was frightened that Tasuki had come close to killing him in return for the prank. He shouldn't add to the worry by keeping her in the dark about what was going on around her.

He sighed and looked out over the water. "Ji, I have something to tell you. Have you ever been told the legend of the mikos to the four gods?"

He recited the story he had heard so often as a little boy and ended with Miaka.

"She is our miko. I really don't know what this ceremony will entail, but afterwards, Konan will be peaceful again." He smiled at the thought. No more war.

Ji looked thoughtful, mulling over what he had just told her. Miboshi began to wonder exactly how close they were to summoning the phoenix god. The way the monk spoke, it seemed as though all the preparations would soon be complete. She'd been planning on it anyhow, but now she absolutely had to act tonight.

The more she thought about it, though, the more she began to think she'd need a failsafe. If things didn't go according to plan, she needed a way to remain above their suspicions until she could work things out in her favor.

"Konan will be peaceful..." she repeated.

Her gaze swept out over the water and fixed on the temple of Suzaku. It was easily recognizable by the golden statue situated on its roof.

"Let's pray to Suzaku to make sure everything goes smoothly," she said.

Smiling up at him, she took his hands.

"If you're one of his celestial warriors, then I'm sure we'll need his blessings too."

***

Kaen felt slightly better after her bath, though she couldn't be quite certain if it was scrubbing the dirt from her skin or no longer being near the foreigners that did it. She certainly felt more clear.

It was disturbing.

Kaen went out to the gardens after she'd bathed and dressed. She didn't feel like reading; she just wanted some time to think. Though think of what, she wasn't certain. She settled herself on a rock where she could look over one of the small ponds. Perhaps that would be soothing enough.

Chichiri walked along the shore, trying not to drag his kesa in the mud. In the distance, he spotted Kaen, sitting alone beside the smaller pools. He tilted his head curiously.

He watched her as he came closer. She appeared contemplative, and though he was getting a chill from the wind breezing through his wet clothes, he didn't want to pass by without a word. Besides, she had been the one who kept Miaka-sama's brother safe. In all of the drama surrounding the past few days, he recalled his meeting with her and the foreigners fondly.

"Hello Kaen-san, no da. Everything going all right, no da?"

Kaen looked up and gave Houjun an open smile. He was the only one who had ever seen an expression like that from her. "Hello," she said. "What happened to your clothes?" There really wasn't a reason for him to be all damp, that she knew of.

At his question, her smile faded a bit, replaced by pensiveness. She shrugged, looking back at the pond. "The foreigners," she said, by way of explanation.

Chichiri sighed and took up a seat on a rock next to her. He plopped his chin down in his palm and rest his elbow on his knee.

"Long story, no da."

When Kaen turned to look out over the water, he joined her in gazing out at the view. The last halo of the sun was dipping beneath the horizon, and night was creeping up on them.

Ever since they'd first arrived, Keisuke and Tetsuya were baffling to him. He knew the story of Suzaku no Miko, yes, but that had never included her older brother and his best friend. He'd been picking his brain, trying to puzzle through their role in all of this, but more recently, he'd had to abandon those thoughts in pursuit of keeping them all alive.

"More trouble with them, no da?" Chichiri questioned.

"More than normal? Probably not," she said, laughing softly. She wasn't troubled by the same things as Houjun; she knew very little about the legends that concerned him so much. "They're just... strange," she said. She didn't know how else to describe it. "The blond one has touched me several times," she said, then scowled out of habit. The expression lacked conviction though. "By rights, I should cut off his hand."

But she really didn't want to, anyway.

Kaen sighed. "I should resume travelling soon, I suppose. The girl has been rescued. Your people are gathering. There's not really a reason for me to stay." And she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something she ought to be doing

Chichiri sweatdropped. Keisuke was lucky Kaen had kept him safe from the beastman, but even luckier she hadn't killed him afterward.

Kaen's situation was also troubling him. He'd early on sensed the energy of Seiryuu within her, and yet she seemed unconcerned with anything relating to the dragon god. He'd kept the information to himself until now in order to give her the benefit of the doubt. He'd kept on eye on her as best he could, but she truly seemed unaware of her power.

She also couldn't have any connection to the beastman, or if she did, she'd consciously fought him off in favor of Keisuke and Tetsuya. Though the fact that she was a Seiryuu seishi didn't bother him near as much as the princess's seemingly untapped powers.

"Kaen-san," he began slowly, "Do you know Ji-hime?"

She'd really been fishing for advice from Houjun. And possibly an excuse not to leave, if she was really honest with herself. But so much for that. Then again, monks sort of had a right to be mysterious and randomly changed the subject.

Maybe.

She shrugged. "No."

"Hm..." he pondered to himself.

Something was in the works here. There was an over-arching plan he couldn't see, and it filled him with a sense of foreboding. He wasn't entirely sure if he should bring this all up with Kaen, though. If she truly knew nothing about Seiryuu...

"Have you ever heard the story of the four gods, no da?"

Kaen shrugged again. "A bit here and there. It seemed pretty silly to me." She smiled. "Sorry, no offense intended. On Nyosei, we follow our goddess. I don't know why anyone would follow a god instead, but the outside world has proven to be rather strange at times."

Chichiri couldn't help but smile at the irony.

"I see, no da. We'll be praying to Suzaku to send Miaka-sama, Keisuke-kun, and Tetsuya-kun back to their world, no da. I'm sure Keisuke-kun and Tetsuya-kun would appreciate it if you saw them off, no da."

Well, that made sense. Kaen nodded, though her smile faded more. "I... don't understand why, but I suppose so. I've already been here long enough that a few more days won't make a difference." She drew her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them. It was a carryover from her childhood, a position she tended to take when she felt unhappy about something.

It just seemed to strange that this - whatever _this_ was - would be over so soon.

The chill was starting to seep into his bones, and he rubbed his shivering arms. As his sleeves were damp, it did little to help.

"I better get inside and get a change of clothes, no da," he said as he got to his feet, "Besides, someone is probably causing trouble in there, no da," Chichiri gave an exaggerated sigh.

"I'd like to hear more about Nyosei and your goddess after the ceremony, no da," he added.

***

Tasuki stalked out of the garden, making his way through the palace with a heated glare on his face and dripping wet.

"Where the fuck can I find Kouji, baka?" he growled, grabbing a passing maid by the arm.

She eeped and pointed a shaking finger down the hall, "H-he's in the Emperor's chambers, sir! W-who are you? Do you have a right to be here?" She edged back, looking around for guards to help her.

Tasuki released her arm and resumed walking down the hall, ignoring the girl's questions.

Giving up on ever finding the Emperor's chambers, Tasuki took to opening any door that looked even remotely like a bed chamber. He found several rooms that had closets full of clothes and took a moment to 'borrow' a clean shirt and a pair of pants. His coat would stay, he'd get the stains out of it somehow.

Resuming his slightly less angry stalk down the hall, he noticed that someone was leaning against the wall beside a door a bit further down.

It was that one guy, the one with those things covering hs eyes that he'd met on the mountain. "Oi! Where's Mi-chan an' Kouji?"

Tetsuya looked over at the newly-arrived bandit, his expression neutral. He'd just said that he'd keep any more people from bothering the ones inside the room, hadn't he? The problem was that he hadn't counted on having to deal with a character like Tasuki. The man didn't seem like the type of person to be dissuaded from his goal, and Tetsuya suspected that "doctor's orders" for Miaka not to be disturbed wouldn't fly with him.

"Miaka's inside," he replied evenly. "Her brother's visiting her, but only for a moment. She needs her rest."

He debated the merits of leaving his post and replanting himself in front of the door but decided against making any move yet. A second passed before he placed Kouji's name. If he recalled correctly, this Kouji character was also a bandit. So these two characters knew each other.

"And I'm afraid I don't know where this Kouji is."

Tasuki looked at Tetsuya curiously; he didn't seem to know Kouji. That was strange in itself since Kouji was the kind of guy to make sure that everyone knew him.

Interesting.

He nodded once and moved to the door. "I'm just gonna check on her, I'm gonna head out t'find Kouji soon as I make sure she's arright."

He peeked in the room, grinning at the sight of Miaka hugging her brother. "I see yer givin' away all a those nice hugs, Mi-chan, c'n I have one too?"

Kouji leaned back as he heard a familiar voice. "Yeah you can have a hug!" he exclaimed, charging his leader and tackling him. He bonked Genrou on the head once, then twice for good measure. "Baka. Don't even greet me!"

Smiling, Kouji offered his friend a hand as he climbed off of him.

Tasuki laughed as Kouji tackled him to the floor, it was great to see his best buddy back on his feet again. "I don't wanna hug you, aho, I wanna dance with ya!" he replied, laughing as Kouji helped him to his feet.

Miaka looked past Keisuke, to see if the voice was who she hoped. It was.

"Gen-chan!" She sat back up in bed, throwing off the covers. Without a thought regarding her need to rest, she leapt off the edge of the bed onto him, knocking him back with a crash.

Keisuke would probably yell at her to take it easy. Kouji and Genrou might also, but she didn't care. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug. As she pulled back, she punched him hard.

"Why did you go off on your own you big dummy?! It's dangerous. You said you wouldn't leave me alone anymore..." She pouted and stuck out her tongue.

Tasuki hugged her back with just as much enthusiasm, and would have kissed her cheek had she not slugged him.

He grinned gently at her. "I hadda go, Mi-chan," he brushed her bangs from her face gently. "I couldn't take ya with me, that damned beast was there. He almost ate yer brother from what I hear an' I wouldn't be a very good protector if'n I put ya in danger. Gotta leave sometimes, Chibi Onna, gotta do right by ya, ne?"

He set her back gently and turned to Kouji, "Let's dance!"

Kouji felt a pang of jealousy as Miaka and Tasuki embraced. He felt another stabbing pang when Tasuki set to brushing the bangs from her face. It couldn't mean anything. Genrou never liked girls.

Kouji grabbed his friend by the arm and initiated a small dance, turning in a funny little circle, a grin plastered on his face. It was tradition between the two, after all, ne?

"I haven't seen you in forever!" he exclaimed to Genrou.

Tasuki laughed as he swung around, his arm linked in Kouji's. "Man, I saw ya just this mornin'! Didn't ya see me? Damn, that's cold man!"

They made a few more turns, oblivious to the stares they were getting from the other occupants of the room.

With a large grin and restored spirits, Tasuki pulled away from Kouji and ruffled his hair. "I see ya ain't as messed up as ya were this mornin', I take it Mits patched ya up?"

Golden eyes moved over to Miaka, sweeping over her and checking her wounds. "You seem arright too, Chibi Onna." he swiped a stray eyelash from her cheek with his thumb, a small smile on his face.

"I'm so happy! Everyone is together. That means we can all have some fun." _Even if I should be using the time to study._

She felt herself get a bit light headed and wobbled, reaching out for Tasuki, grabbing hold of his coat tightly. "Why is your coat so dirty?"

Tasuki caught her as she fell against him. "Don't worry about my coat, it's back to bed with ya." He hoisted her over his shoulder and hauled her back to the bed, swatting her behind gently before he leaned down and lay her back on the bed.

"Rest now, Onna. I'll be here when ya wake up." He kissed her cheek and ruffled her hair. "An' you be a good brother an' get her some food. Me an' Kouji'll keep her company while ya go."

Kouji watched the exchange with silent shock.

...was Genrou in love with Miaka?

Miaka's stomach growled loudly when food was mentioned.

"Err... now that you mention it I could use something to eat. Keisuke, could you check and see if they have anything good?"

Keisuke was fuming. Not only did this guy ruin all the chance at quiet and rest that Miaka had, but he was ordering him around? It didn't help that now he's gotten Miaka treating him like some kind of servant, instead of her cherished older brother. And, and, did he just slap her ass?!

He stepped between Miaka and the two loudmouths with a furious glare on his face. He had brief flashes of his earlier arguments with Miaka, but they couldn't stop his frustration from pouring out on the bandits.

"I'm not a palace slave, so don't order me around," he said, "The doctor said Miaka needs to sleep, and you're dancing around the room and talking about the beastman?" Keisuke clenched his teeth, "I think you both need to leave."

Tasuki held his hands up in a non-threatening manner and backed away from the enraged glare he was getting from Miaka's brother. One hand moved to the back of is head, scratching his neck. "Sorry man, I was just happy t'see that my Chibi Onna was arright." He winced, that hadn't come out right.

"Okay, we'll go get her some food while you get her calmed down." He walked over to Kouji and grabbed his collar, dragging him towards the door. "We'll leave th' food with the no eyes guy at th' door. C'mon Kouji, Mi-chan'll start eatin' th' bed hangin's if'n we take too long. You gotta show me around the place, they got sake here?" he continued to chatter with Kouji as he drug him from the room, pausing only to nod sheepishly at Tetsuya as they passed.

"Yep, they got sake," Kouji responded as he passed the guy with the strange things over his eyes. "I'll show ya around, Genrou."

Tetsuya leaned against the door and yawned. Well, at least Keisuke was being useful. Unlike him. Still, Tetsuya couldn't help but be a bit amused--it wasn't often that he got to see (or hear, in this case, since he was still outside the door) Keisuke playing the big brother role to the hilt and laying down the law. Just as he was about to go inside and throw them all out too. Tetsuya thought about tossing off a warning at the departing pair of bandits, but they were so engrossed in their own chatter except for a couple of perfunctory nods as they passed by that he didn't have much of a chance to get a word in edgewise. At least they were gone now. He resolved not to let them back in if they came back this way.

He briefly considered dragging Keisuke out the room as well, then decided against it. A few more minutes between the siblings couldn't hurt. If by then Keisuke hadn't come out on his own, he'd go in.

"Gen-chan? Find me something tasty okay!" Miaka waved to both of them as they left, all smiles.

When the door shut again, she punched her brother in the arm softly. "What'd you go and do that for?" Sticking out her tongue, she couldn't hold the serious expression and laughed.

"They're okay guys, Keisuke. Really. Genrou is Tasuki, one of my celestial warriors. He treats me like a little sister. And I don't have any interest in Kouji as more than a friend."

Keisuke's anger drained away slowly once they'd left. He could still feel it there, simmering inside, but it would slowly die down soon enough.

Miaka's news startled him. It wasn't that he didn't want them to be together... Okay, so maybe he didn't. From what he'd seen, Kouji was an oversexed idiot, and added to that, he didn't want her to refuse to go home. He gave her a hug, and vowed to do more once they returned home.

"All right," he patted her gently on the head, "Time for you to get some sleep. I'll see about keeping everyone else out of here, and researching a little more about Suzaku," he said.

"Thank you. There's a boy in the palace... he's young but really smart. Maybe even more than Yui-chan! He might know something about it too." She hugged her brother and watched him head towards the door.

"You don't have to keep me locked down here, you know. I'll go to sleep now until I smell that delicious, wonderful food! I'll be good, I promise." She winked at him and the plopped back, snoring loudly.

Keisuke smiled and shook his head, then he emerged from the Emperor's chambers. Outside was only Tetsuya, who appeared as nonchalant as ever. He had to have at least heard him throwing the bandits out. Briefly, he wondered if they'd try and sneak back in once he was gone.

His eyebrow twitched at the thought.

"Miaka's doing all right. She wants us to find out a little more about the summoning of Suzaku," he said quietly, "I guess if it's the only way home, we should probably know everything we can about it."

At least Keisuke had the good sense when to leave, unlike the other two. Tetsuya wondered if maybe he and Keisuke should stick around a bit longer in case they decided to waltz back in and disturb Miaka yet again.

"Good to hear she's okay," he said. He shifted his weight from one foot to another and scratched his head. "I'm not sure who else we can ask about the ceremony. I mean, between Kourin-san, that monk, and the Emperor, we've pretty much exhausted all our options."

Though he didn't recall having any sort of meaningful conversation with the monk. Maybe he should remedy that later. Another thought occurred to him, sobering him even further. "This might be a bit off-topic, but did Miaka mention anything about her friend? That Hongo girl."

With news that Miaka was better and almost ready to take visitors, there was only one thought on the mind of the Emperor. He almost lost forever the woman he loved. Miaka was more than a Priestess come to save them. She was the girl he had dreamed about for endless nights.

He rushed down the hall as quickly as possible.

"Your highness! You shouldn't run! Is something the matter your excellence?"

Their voices were one blur to him. His feet crashed against the floor with each step. He might be moving fast, but he was still beautiful. He paused as he turned the corner, ducking back. Her brother and friend were outside the bedroom door. It was his bedroom... he was an Emperor! He could do what he wanted. So why did he want to wait until they were gone?

He felt a strange desire to gain the approval of the brother. It would also be polite to do so in such a circumstance. He stayed behind the corner, trying to eavesdrop, hoping to hear either one of them say that Miaka was okay.

"Miaka mentioned a genius boy," Keisuke said, but as soon as he said it, he deflated, "Not like we'll be able to find him or anything. If we can find the library, we might be able to look through some books about it."

Keisuke stared glumly at his shoes, "No, she didn't mention anything about Yui-chan."

She hadn't given him a straight answer before, in favor of her hijinx with that bandit. And it had slipped his mind to even ask when he'd known Miaka was hurt.

"I guess all we can do is keep asking around. There's a possibility she wasn't even brought into this world," he said, but even as he did, his faith was not behind his words.

"Genius boy, huh? It shouldn't be too hard--collar the first servant we see and ask where he can be found." Tetsuya idly rubbed his neck as he dug through his memory. "I was in the library before, ah..." He wondered how delicately he should put this, then decided with plain bluntness. This was Keisuke he was dealing with, and if he couldn't be straight with his best friend, there was no one he could be straight with. "...Kaen-san nearly burned the palace down with her lightning."

Somewhat of an exaggeration, but it **had** caused an uproar. A minor one, in the grand scheme of things, but still an uproar nonetheless. "Anyway, I was looking through the scrolls and books there, and I didn't find anything more than what we already know."

That had been a disappointment. What use was a palace library for if not to store the esoteric and mysterious? Take _The Universe of the Four Gods_--it had been stored in a **city library,** of all places. Tetsuya promised himself that once they got back to the real world, he'd launch a full-scale investigation into the book and its history.

He reached up and made a minor adjustment to his shades as he contemplated their next course of action. "We should ask the Emperor if he's heard anything about a strange foreign girl aside from Miaka. Of course, it'll be best if Hongo hasn't been dragged here with us too, but still..." he paused, thinking, "You know, there's a chance that she might not be here. I mean, in this country. I saw an atlas, or what passes for one in this world, in the library, and it showed countries other than this Kounan we're in."

For His Highness it was the perfect chance to make his appearance. "Did I hear you mention me?" He appeared from behind the corner gracefully.

"I couldn't help overhear, but the boy Miaka mentioned, his name is Ou. He's also the last of the Suzaku Seven and staying here in the palace. He will probably know more about the summoning."

He considered telling them about the scroll but decided against it. That was for the Emperor to give to the Priestess. If Miaka wanted to share it with her brother, she could. He was eager to see the Priestess hidden behind his bedroom door.

"Perhaps you find Ou in the library? Or his room. I wouldn't be surprised if he's studying. He should be able to tell you a great deal about Suzaku, it's part of the exam requirements." He winked to the boys, as though sharing in some great joke. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Miaka. She's asleep I hope?"

There wasn't much time to react to Tetsuya's theories, as the Emperor popped up out of nowhere and started answering their questions. It was an effort to keep the sweatdrop off his face. Somehow, this isn't how he ever envisioned the Chinese Emperors of the past, but then, this world wasn't really China.

He looked back at the door he'd just come from.

"She should be sleeping."

At least he could trust the Emperor more than those stupid bandits.

"I'm sorry, Saihitei-sama, but there was another girl with us when we were brought to this world. I think I mentioned her before? Her name is Hongo Yui. She has short blonde hair. She was wearing the same uniform as Miaka. She's Miaka's best friend, same age. We were wondering if you'd heard anything about her..." he looked back at the Emperor hopefully.

"A blonde girl?" He thought hard about it, trying to remember the most boring parts of his meeting. What had they said... something about Kutou and a girl?

"Now that I think about it, there are rumors of a blonde girl in Kutou. It's possible that they are true. Blonde hair is extremely uncommon here, so I'll keep my ears open. We have an emissary coming from Kutou tomorrow and expect everyone to act appropriately as he must be treated with the utmost respect. I will ask him if he's heard anything."

He smiled at the boys, flipping his hair off his shoulders. "If you want to go look for Ou, feel free." He patted Keisuke on the shoulder, a friendly gesture. "Don't worry. She's safe here now. I'm not letting her disappear on us again." He gestured for them to go and took up a guard-like position, arms crossed, in front of the door.

Keisuke nodded. "Thank you, Saihitei-sama."

It was reassuring to have the Emperor himself watching over his little sister. He'd given them quite a lot to digest. Yui might have been sucked into this world too, but dropped in a country called Kutou. Seeing as how he couldn't fathom how they'd been brought here in the first place, he couldn't wrap his head around why she'd be thrown there, while Miaka, Tetsuya, and himself were, well, where they were. How on earth would they ever find her if the emissary from Kutou didn't know of her whereabouts?

"Let's go to the library," he said to Tetsuya, "We can check out any information about Kutou they have there. Thank you again, Saihitei-sama," Keisuke said, bowing his head.

He looked to Tetsuya to lead the way to the broken bits of the palace library.

After a quick bath and throwing on a new set of clothes, Chichiri felt refreshed. His next order of business was to find the Emperor. It wasn't hard to figure out where he'd be…

Chichiri walked down the hallway toward the Emperor's quarters.

As Keisuke and Tetsuya walked away, Hotohori looked around cautiously. He didn't want to disturb Miaka, but he needed to see her to make sure she was really okay. He was about to slide open the bedroom door when he spied a tuft of blue hair headed his way. He spun back around into "guard" position and nodded hello. "Chichiri, what can I do for you?"

"Hotohori-sama, I'm glad I found you, no da," Chichiri said, "I was wondering how Miaka-sama is doing, no da. I have a lot to discuss with you concerning the ceremony, no da."

"She's resting at the moment but seems to be okay. It's a great relief. You wish to discuss the summoning ceremony?"

Chichiri nodded. "That's good to hear, no da. Yes, I think we've gathered all of the Suzaku seven here at the palace, no da. I met a boy who I believe to be the seventh, no da. We can begin preparations for the ceremony at any time, na no da."

"Ah, wonderful. The summoning unfortunately must wait for at least another day or so. We have an important visitor coming... from Kutou."

This news set off alarms in Chichiri's head, but unfortunately, he had no better idea of why than he did before.

"Hotohori-sama, that beastman you fought, he was a Seiryuu seishi, no da. He wasn't working on his own, and I didn't get a chance to find out who sent him, no da. I…" Chichiri weighed the consequences of telling Hotohori about Ji and Kaen, but he decided it'd be best if someone other than himself knew, "I've also noticed that Ji-hime and Kaen-san are both Seiryuu seishi, no da. I'm not sure what's going on, but something about all of this bothers me, no da."

Hotohori was shocked to learn that Kaen was in fact a warrior for Kutou. She fought so bravely against the beastman when he snatched up Keisuke. "Do either of them know they are Seiryuu seishi? If not, they should pose no threat. But..."

"Hm…" Chichiri looked off to the side, as if the answers were hidden just behind the walls.

"Kaen-san doesn't know that she's a Seiryuu seishi, but I haven't spoken with Ji-hime, no da. She seems not to know, but I feel immense power surrounding her, na no da," he paused to consider.

Was this why the visitor was really coming? The blonde girl, the peace talks... it was coming together. "This emissary is supposed to be talking peace with our country. It is of the greatest importance we do not discuss our own summoning."

"I agree it would be best if we don't discuss this at the meeting, no da."

"Good. The nature of the summoning will change depending upon the meeting I am sure." He looked around trying to ensure they really were alone before continuing.

"If you feel Ji-hime poses a threat, I would appreciate you keeping an eye on her. She is close to one of ours... Tamahome, right? She might do something to effect the summoning if she were to know."

"Yes, she seems…" Chichiri recalled the scene he and Tasuki had literally dropped in on, "Very close to Tamahome-kun, no da. I'm not certain that she knows she has such potential, but I'll keep an eye on her, no da."

Chichiri looked back up at Hotohori.

"How would the nature of the summoning change with the coming meeting, no da?"

"If Kutou is willing to sign a contract of peace, I don't want to ask Miaka-sama to spend one of her wishes on our country. But if Kutou comes here with another agenda, if they threaten immediate war, we've no choice but to plead our case to her. Miaka... she has such a difficult responsibility as the Suzaku no Miko."

"Mm," Chichiri agreed, "I understand, no da. Do you know of the boy I mentioned, no da? He's young, he has light brown hair, and it's tied up on top of his head, no da. I think he's Chiriko, and I wanted to speak with him to make sure he's with us for the ceremony, no da."

The Emperor nodded. "Yes, his name is Ou. He was revealed to me as Chiriko before. I just sent Keisuke and Tetsuya to find him to ask some questions about the summoning."

He sighed heavily. "Keisuke is very worried about what will happen to his sister when she summons Suzaku."

"I'll see if I can talk to him too, no da," Chichiri said, standing up straighter. "Looks like I've got a lot to do, no da. If you need me, I'll be at the library, no da."

When the monk left him alone, Hotohori stood in the hall staring at his own bedroom door, wondering if he should enter. In his own palace, he wasn't sure if he was allowed to open a door and do as he wished. No, he'd made up his mind. He would take the chance.

He paused, brushing back his hair to ensure he looked perfect. He tapped on the door quietly. "Miaka, may I come in?"

She stirred at the sound of the knock, adjusting her hair and robe, trying to look perfect. She didn't hear the muffled voice, assuming it was probably Genrou and Kouji or her brother come to ask more questions. She hadn't considered it to be another of her seishi.

He pushed open the door and quietly shut it behind him. Miaka looked rather well, which was a relief. He had not wanted to see her in any pain... it would break his heart.

"Did I wake you?"

She shook her head, not wanting him to feel any guilt. She'd wanted to see him anyway. He approached and sat at the edge of the bed beside her.

"Miaka... I'm sorry that you have had to endure so much. Had I not failed to protect you none of this hardship would you have suffered."

"Hotohori-sama, it's fine, really. I'm okay! Don't worry about me. When I learned you had come after me I was so worried."

It was almost too good to be true. She cared for him. Perhaps only as a celestial warrior or friend, but there was a chance that there could be more there. He had only one opportunity to do this... he wanted to do it right.

"There is something I've wanted to say to you since the day we first met. All my life, I've tried to imagine what the girl who would become the Suzaku no Miko would be like. How would she look? How might she act? Would she be kind? Miaka... you are more than I ever imagined."

Miaka could feel her face getting red and hot. Why was her heart racing now? Was she more attractive here than in Tokyo? He took her hands in his own and pulled her close to him.

"Miaka... I was born to protect you. Yet I also love you. If you would consider it, I'd ask you to..." his voice felt tight and he had to swallow. This was the most nervous he'd been his entire life. "Miaka... I'd like to make you my wife."

Miaka's mind went completely blank.

"Hotohori-sama..." Miaka managed to stammer before the Emperor pulled her closer, embracing her. She closed her eyes for just a moment, allowing herself to be kissed by him.

_Is this really happening?_ Miaka was having a hard time believing herself to really be in the position she was. She was in the bed of an Emperor, wearing very little, being kissed by him. A fact she was made more aware of as he slipped his tongue in her mouth.

She was completely torn. Her heart was racing. She liked the kiss... enjoyed it even! But something wasn't right. As if he sensed it, Hotohori pulled back from her. Cradling her face in his hands, he looked deep into her eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"No! No it's not that, it's..." she was stammering, struggling to find the words to explain how she could react to his proposal. She couldn't say yes or no. She certainly couldn't tell him she enjoyed the kiss! Not to mention Tasuki and Kouji were... Oh no! What if they walked in?

"What is it?" He sounded concerned. She'd forgotten how gentle Hotohori was with her.

"I don't know. This is so sudden..."

"You don't have to say yes right now. But please... consider it. I love you, Miaka." He leaned in and kissed her again. Crawling up onto the bed with her, he lay her back and continued kissing down her neck. But her mind kept flashing to someone else she cared about... with the image of his face in her mind, this moment was too much. She didn't want to hurt anyone else.

"Please... stop..."

***

Kouji glanced at Genrou before sighing. He was still determined to toy with his own memory as he turned down a corridor, trying to remember where the palace kitchen was. The Palace gardens were to the east, he recalled, thus the kitchens should be somewhere south of their current location.

Genrou and Miaka's happy faces were prominent in his mind. He tried to suppress his jealousy and get an answer with a joke.

"Since when didja start likin' girls?"

"W-what?! I hate girls! You know that, baka!" he bonked Kouji on top of the head, a small blush on his cheeks. "Th' day I like a girl is th' day.... well, I don't like 'em. That's your department! 'Sides, if'n ya mean Mi-chan, it ain't like that. She's th' miko, man! Like a confused bandit like me would know what t'do with a girl... I mean, I know the principles of what..." he sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair.

"No, girls an' me don't mix. You like girls, 'cept fer that one time…"

"Bringin' that up again?" Kouji chuckled as he bonked Genrou on the head. As they walked towards the open door of the kitchen, Kouji looked around. The place was busy, cooks working at almost all the stations preparing a huge feast.

Tasuki grinned over at Kouji, "A'course I gotta bring that up."

Kouji snagged a bottle of sake from a pile, motioning for Genrou to grab whatever he needed for Miaka. "Get Miaka some food, baka."

He smirked and snagged the bottle of sake out of Kouji's hand, tipping it to his lips as he meandered over to one of the kitchen helpers. "Yeah, I need some food for Miaka... er, for th' miko. Just put a bunch of food on a tray an' lemme know when it's ready."

He moved back over to Kouji to wait, slugging down enough sake to leave him slightly buzzed. He smacked Kouji on the back of the head, grinning as he guzzled down another gulp. "Yer scrawny, ya know that? Need t'have Ma fatten ya up. Ya know, Aidou was eyein' ya. Mayhap ya needa see about gettin' hitched?"

"I'm scrawny?" Kouji chuckled as he grabbed another bottle of sake. "I ain't as scrawny as you! Wait… Aidou was eyein' me?" Raising a eyebrow, Kouji chuckled. "Aidou lives wit yer Ma. I ain't goin' anywhere near yer Ma." Kouji swung an arm around Genrou's shoulder as he gulped down the liquid.

"An' there's no way in hell I'm gettin' hitched! I got enough worries to deal with bein' here befor' I go runnin' off wit Aidou."

"I ain't scrawny; I'm lean. There's a difference. See, I gots runnin' I do, bein' a seishi an' all, and you... well, yer just too damned skinny!" He laughed at Kouji, ribbing him none too gently.

He gulped down some more sake and grinned wider. "Yeah, ya know Aidou's always had an eye for ya, an' what's wrong with my Ma? Okay, don't answer that. Haha. But I think gettin' hitched may be good for ya, teach ya that ya can't bed 'em all!" he laughed loudly, drawing every eye from the kitchen staff to them.

A young woman stepped closer to them, a tray laden with food in her delicate looking hands. "This is for Miaka-sama, it's all of her favorite foods. Please allow me to carry it for you to her chambers."

Tasuki raised a brow and shook his head. "Nah, it's arright. She's sleepin' and we're just gonna drop it off for when she wakes up. Go back to helpin' yer Ma, kid."

She dropped a quick curtsey and vanished back into the crowd of faceless servants once more.

"Let's get this t'Mi-chan so's we c'n get some real drinkin' done. We gotta celebrate bein' back together!"

Kouji hadn't realized just how much he missed his best buddy being around like he used to.

"Aidou would be nice to settl' down with," he said softly, obviously deep in thought, "But wouldn't ya miss me bein' constantly at th' hold?"

Gulping down some more sake, his head feeling buzzed, Kouji grinned at the servant and the food that she placed down in front of them for Miaka. Glancing over at Genrou, he nodded as the leader mentioned getting the food back so they could drink like old times. Taking a last swig, he turned and picked up the tray, nodding to the door they only entered minutes before.

Tasuki grinned at his buddy and followed him to the door. He was anxious to spend some time with his best friend and catch up on all of the strange and dangerous things that had happened since they'd parted. "Wouldn't be no missin' happenin', th' Stronghold's been decimated and even if'n I could get a good bunch of guys together an' rebuild... it just wouldn't be the same."

As they wandered down the hall, Tasuki noticed that the guard had left. "Oh, great! We c'n drop in, bug Mi-chan for a minute an' get outta there!" He grinned wider and ambled up to the door. "Think we should knock or just go on in?"

"Why knock, it might alert th'-" Kouji stopped, his ears prickling up on what sounded like a struggle inside. "Genrou," he whispered, his ear plastered to the door, "I think Miaka is 'n trouble." His face grew serious and he handed his buddy the tray, then took a couple steps back, preparing to kick the door down. He planted his foot on the wooden door and kicked it open.

Tasuki frowned and took the tray that Kouji thrust at him, a sense of dread filling his heart.

He followed Kouji through the door... and dropped the tray.

Tasuki strode forward and grabbed Hotohori by the back of the hair. "Get offa her! What th' fuck is yer problem?! She's injured so ya thought _now_ would be a good time to fuckin' seduce her?" His grip tightened in Hotohori's hair, pulling him off of Miaka.

The Emperor heard the door swing open and felt something grab him, yanking him back. He tried to maintain his composure as he withdrew his sword, aiming the tip in the direction of whomever grabbed him.

"I suggest you let go of me," he frowned, hoping he still looked pretty.

Miaka sat up as Hotohori was pulled off of her. "Are you crazy? Let go of him! He's the Emperor, you'll get yourself killed!" she winced. She didn't want to say what had just happened here... didn't want Genrou or Kouji to know.

"Calm down, Gen-chan! Please!" she tugged on his sleeve, "Kouji, do something!"

Kouji growled. "Fuckin' bastard, thinkin' of tryin' to lay a hand on Miaka," he snarled, "Yer lucky I don't kill ya right now!"

Kouji couldn't care less if the man he was insulting was an Emperor or not. The man was violating **his** Miaka.

"Stop it!"

Tasuki shoved the blade away just as Kouji grabbed the Emperor and shoved him to the floor, pinning him down with a knee to the back.

Tasuki grabbed Miaka and pulled her to his chest, away from any danger. He wanted to kick the baka Emperor, but decided to piss him off instead. "You were doin' it all wrong anyway. _This_ is how ya kiss a woman." He tipped Miaka's chin up and pressed a kiss to her lips, thrusting his tongue into her mouth to flick against hers faintly.

Kouji's face drained of all color and he remained frozen to the spot as he watched Miaka clinging to his friend's chest. Unsure of whom to take out his frustration on, he growled.

Tasuki pulled back with a grin and a slight blush, and he shot a triumphant grin at the downed Emperor. "_That's_ how ya kiss a woman."

Miaka didn't have time to react before Tasuki was kissing her. He'd kissed her twice in as many days. She accepted the kiss all too willingly, but she knew she was just being used to piss off Hotohori. "Gen-chan... please..." she whispered.

Having his future bride be kissed by that man was almost too much for the Emperor to take. He struggled against Kouji, letting out a yell that would certainly alert his guards to the situation. "Let go of her! Miaka, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry if I did."

"No, you didn't. These guys are just over reacting. Kouji, would you let him go? The guards will be coming and I don't want either of you getting in trouble."

Tasuki nodded and let her go, "Let him up, man. Can't have ya hangin' from th' gallows over a little kiss. Hell, ya'd have to go an' try t'beat my ass too fer kissin' her," he blushed and grinned at Kouji.

"C'mon Kouji, she's okay. We stopped him a'fore he could do anythin' real bad. If'n he had, I'd have t'ask ya to stand in line while I kicked his ass from here t'Reikaku!"

The look on Miaka's face pulled at him and he sighed, pulling her back into his arms. He hugged her and stroked a hand over her hair. "S'okay Mi-chan, yer safe now," he pressed a kiss to her temple and sighed. "Yer safe long as I'm around."

The guards came rushing down the hallway, bursting into the room. "Your majesty!" Faster than imaginable for someone with so much armor on, they tackled Kouji, knocking him off the Emperor.

Hotohori stood up calmly, dusting himself off, fixing his hair and stretching while the guards kicked and punched Kouji. Miaka's cries made him decide it was enough. "Stop! Let him go. There was a... misunderstanding." The guards backed off cautiously, but stayed nearby in case there was a problem.

"I'll leave the three of you alone now. Miaka, you can spend the night in my room and I'll sleep elsewhere. I apologize again for kissing you but… please consider becoming my wife. I love you." He bowed to her and left the room.

"I... I'll think about it," she nodded and waited for Hotohori and the guards to leave. As the doors slid shut she grew very angry with her rescuers. "What is the matter with you two? You're lucky he didn't have them kill you. How could you protect me if you're dead?" She beat her fist against Genrou's chest, lightly, trying to emphasize her point.

"He's not a bad man. He never would have done anything more than kiss me but you didn't give him a chance to stop. He asked me to marry him!"

She paused in her tirade, looking back into Genrou's eyes. For some reason he seemed almost pleased with himself but she wasn't sure why. Her heart raced as she looked at him, making her more flustered and annoyed. "And you! You took me and kissed me like I was a prize you'd stolen from him. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Frowning, Kouji sat up, crossing his legs and leaning his chin on his hand as if deep in thought. Hotohori had had the balls to propose! He would need to confront the Emperor later in a more private manner.

And then there was Genrou, holding Miaka close to him in an intimate fashion. (And the kiss he had given her earlier!) Kouji looked away, not wanting to reveal his anger. Though he refused to admit it, he could very well see some connection between Genrou and Miaka; it was definitely more than a Miko/Seishi relationship. Growling incoherently to himself, Kouji walked over to the window, his arms bound across his chest as he struggled with his jealousy.

Tasuki grinned down at Miaka when she yelled at him. "Ya didn't complain too much, an' ya never complained when I did it before," his smirk widened. He winked at her and licked one fang. "Ya like it, I c'n tell."

He loosened his grip a bit, but refused to let her out of the circle of his arms. "You ain't got a boyfriend, so there ain't no harm in stealin' a kiss every now and again," he whispered, winking at her with a leering grin.

She felt herself getting more annoyed by the moment. When he mentioned her liking the kiss she blushed, not wanting to admit there was the slightest bit of truth in it.

More importantly, he was talking to her like she was... well, property.

She smiled, leaning into him. "You're right, I didn't complain." She moved in closer as though she would kiss him, slowly, so he didn't notice her hand. With as much force as she could muster she swung her hand across his face, making contact with a sickening cracking noise.

"Your kissing me... how is it any different than what Hotohori did?"

Kouji smirked. Genrou was lucky he only got off with a slap; hell, if Kouji had to have been the one to register punishment, it would have been a couple knuckles to the head.

"She's right, Genrou," Kouji said, "Yer treatin' her like Hotohori. At least treat 'er like a lady."

Tasuki kept his embarrassed face turned away, "Won't happen again. Excuse me." He glanced up at Kouji. "You can stay if you want. I'm just going out for some air."

He got to his feet, feeling like he'd just made a fool of himself. He turned and bowed deeply to Miaka, "Excuse me, Miaka-_sama_," then walked out the door.

"Wait!" she looked over at Kouji apologetically. "Sorry, but I need to talk to him. Can you give us a moment?" She didn't wait for a response as she followed him out the door. She grabbed his arm, tugging on it. "Stop! I'm not done talking to you."

The hall wasn't exactly the best place to have a private conversation. Miaka looked around and decided the empty room next to Hotohori's would work. She tugged on his sleeve, pulling him inside.

Tasuki sighed. He just wanted to get away but Miaka was determined to talk to him. He got the feeling that he wasn't going to like this one little bit.

"Of course, as Miko-sama commands."

He was hurt that she'd slapped him, but even more so that she'd told him that he was just like Hotohori. He didn't want to be put in the same category as another man. It made his chest hurt to think she thought of him as being just like someone else, not special to her in any way.

He shook his head over the confusing thoughts and leaned back against the door. He couldn't look her in the eye, so he looked past her ear. "All right, talk when you're ready." He crossed his arms over his chest, as if to ward off hurtful remarks.

When he called her Miko-sama, she pouted. "Gen-chan... why did you say that about me not having a boyfriend? It was..." She was trying to find the right words but her heart was tied in knots she'd thought she had begun to undo. She was fidgeting with her hands, trying not to be so nervous when talking about her feelings.

"Kouji told me that he was in love with me during our journey. I didn't know how to react at first, wondering if I could return his feelings. But then I realized that it would never be Kouji I was in love with. He would be so hurt if he knew."

Kouji's ear pressed firmly against the wall between the two rooms. He was hanging on Miaka's every word. He winced as Miaka revealed her true feelings to Genrou. He had known all along that the Miko probably wouldn't return his feelings but actually hearing her say it was almost too much to bear. He pushed away from the wall and headed for the kitchen, where he knew there would be plenty of sake. His heart was set on doing the only thing he knew he could in this situation; getting so drunk he wouldn't have to remember the pain.

Tasuki closed his eyes, "I was just joking. I didn't mean anything by it, just as I didn't mean anything by that kiss. It was for show, nothing more." His lips tightened around the lie he told the both of them, but he forced it out. He kept his eyes closed, as if by not seeing the hurt and anguish on he face it would make it not exist there.

She was a little disappointed to hear the kiss didn't mean anything. "It meant nothing? Oh..." she said a little sadly. Why was she upset about that? "Uh, I mean, that's probably best for you guys." She tried to pick up her voice but was worried she gave herself away. The look on his face, or lack thereof, showed he was still trying to push her away, so she did the only thing she could.

She wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug, burying her face in his chest. His shirt smelled like sake and sweat, an aroma that was distinctly his. "I'm sorry I slapped you."

Tasuki was torn, he wanted to hug her back and tell her it was okay but it wasn't. He'd upset her by telling her it didn't mean anything, he just couldn't do anything to change it. Didn't know how to change it. "Don't worry about it. I deserved it. I was being an ass and treating you as if I was allowed to touch you," he frowned and wrapped his arms around her.

"Just forget 'bout it. It was just a kiss between friends, ne?" But it was then that he realized he didn't want it to be... No, she was the miko. He set her way from him. "Let's just forget about it. I need to worry more about keeping you safe than stealing kisses that ain't mine." Damn, that had been harder to say than he'd thought it would be.

Miaka was looking into Genrou's eyes with more intensity than she'd intended. "What if..." she needed to just say it. "What if I said that there was someone who I wanted to kiss?"

Tasuki cocked his head to the side. "Wait a minute here, when did ya fall... oh, I see," he nodded. "Then all th' more reason fer me t'worry about protectin' ya. Hotohori'd kill me if'n I let anythin' happen to ya." He grinned, but it didn't quite reach his eyes so he closed them to keep her from seeing what he felt.

She let out a little laugh when she realized he thought she loved Hotohori. "No, no. Hotohori loves me but I..." she giggled a bit more but stopped herself. "Sorry, it's not like that at all."

She took Tasuki's hand in hers. "Thank you for being with me all this time."

He looked confused, "Ya don't know any other guys, unless yer all goggle eyed over Mits," he shivered. "Please tell me it ain't Mits, that's just sick. An' ya know Nuriko ain't exactly right, so best not t'go there either." He stopped, his eyes widening in shock. "Chichiri?! Is it him? Ya seemed more like... I dunno, like ya just met when ya's showed up at Ma's."

"No, no. Not any of them." She wiped away a tear, still feeling pain in her sides from laughing so hard. "When did I say I fell for someone else? Besides that only leaves Tamahome and..." she looked up at him again, blushing, "...and you."

Tasuki scratched his head and looked down at her face, "But ya said... " he flushed. She was laughing at him. "Well, ya could'a fell fer him," he mumbled looking away.

"Mmm it's true. Tamahome's very attractive..." she pondered the idea briefly, testing Tasuki's reaction. "I don't know him very well yet though. Besides, I think he and Ji-hime are... " She realized she'd narrowed the list down to just Tasuki and stammered. "Uh and you said that we're just friends nothing more so it would be hopeless if I fell for you. Right?"

Tasuki glared at her for a moment when she started talking about Tamahome, but he frowned when she stuttered. "So, ya _do_ like Tamahome. Gotcha. Just don't be alone with him, he likes to push people into th' lake." He didn't like the idea of Miaka liking Tamahome and liked it even less that he sounded jealous.

He blushed, ignoring her other question, and scratched his head again. "Hey, how about we go get Kouji an' get ya some food. That tray we brought kinda got dropped. Sorry 'bout that."

She squinted at him. He didn't answer her directly. She was a little happy he didn't shoot her down but the mention of food made her stomach growl. "Mm food would be good. I'm feeling much better!"

She walked back into the hall only to find Kouji was gone. "I wonder where he went. Back to the kitchen maybe?"

Tasuki looked into the Emperor's bedroom and found that she was right; Kouji was gone. "Hmm, well I dunno. Maybe. Wanna go see?"

"Sure!" She wanted nothing more than to stay close to him as they made their way to the kitchen and swung open the door, finding a very drunken Kouji.

Kouji sat on the wooden stool in the kitchen area, fifth bottle in hand as he looked over at the now-open door. "Oi Miiii-chan," he called, his voice slurring from the effect of the alcohol, "Ya two wuz talkinn soo I came here."

Tasuki grinned ruefully and shook his head; it seemed that Kouji had heard their conversation and was really upset by it. He hadn't been Kouji's best friend for more than four years without figuring out the tells of Kouji being pissed off and/or hurt.

He left Miaka's side and plopped down beside Kouji. "Arright, spill it baka. What's it this time? Can't get a chambermaid t'put out?" he laughed, but his eyes were intent on Kouji's.

It was a game they had played in the past; ask an outrageous question to mask the one in his gaze. It helped them get issues settled back on the mountain without the guys figuring out about their nearly brotherly friendship. In a place like that, best friends were a no-no that could get a man killed on a dangerous raid and were sneered at by more than half of the bandits.

"She tell ya she ain't gonna put out fer a bandit or just because it's you?"

Miaka wandered over to the table herself, after rummaging for something to eat. She sat across from the two bandits, munching down everything she could. It was getting late, but no one could deny her a bedtime snack!

She smiled at the two. Their friendship was so obvious it reminded her of how she was with Yui. Tasuki was really a nice guy, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. She watched his smiling face intently. When she realized she was staring at him, she tried to hide it by eating more.

Kouji chuckled as Genrou spoke to him, his eyes averting at his friends gaze. He spun the bottle between his palms. "Ain't nothin' wrong wit meeee..." he sang, "An' the maid I liiiike likes bandits, juuus' not meee...."

His gaze fell on Miaka.

Tasuki blushed hearing Kouji's reply. So, the one Kouji liked was Miaka but she liked another bandit? Well, as far as he knew he was the only other bandit in the palace.

That made him blush darker. "Ah Kouji, I'm sure yer jus' drunk an' ya misunderstood 'er."

Kouji sat at the table silently, staring down at his bottle while Miaka looked back and forth between the men, confused. She popped her last piece of apple into her mouth with a satisfied chomp.

"Kouji why don't ya show me to our room so's we c'n bed down? Mi-chan you need t'go t'bed too."

He got to his feet and looked down at Kouji, uncertainty about his friend's feelings in his eyes for the first time.

Miaka also got to her feet. "I'm pretty tired." She stood there awkwardly, staring at Tasuki. Should she hug him? Bow? Handshake? What do you do when you like someone and they don't like you back?

"You two can make it to your room okay?" She didn't really believe them, but trusted they could. "I'll head back too then. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" She waved to the two of them, then left the kitchen, rushing down the hall to the Emperor's room. She slammed the door shut, leaning against it.

Why was she so affected by Tasu-chan now? She knew what she'd been feeling and suppressing all this time. It was raging out of control inside her now that she'd admitted it to herself and she couldn't stop thinking about that kiss. She crawled into bed, pulling the covers up tightly around her face. She closed her eyes but kept thinking of the moment before where they had kissed each other.

_He said it was a kiss between friends, stop being so silly!_ She yanked the covers over her head and waited for sleep.

***

Kouji nodded sloppily to Genrou before standing up slowly. He reeked of the stench of alcohol but didn't notice as the world spun around him. Gripping onto Genrou's arm, he managed to make it to the hallway. He staggered down the hall, passing the door that led to the Emperor's room. He faintly recalled the room being by the pond.

Manhandling the knob, he got the door to their room open and staggered towards one of the two beds, collapsing in a heap on the soft mattress with a chuckle.

Tasuki helped Kouji to their room, unhappy with the doubts about his and Kouji's friendship. Kouji was lying to him about his feelings for Miaka. They'd been best friends for so long and he'd never.. well, only once had he ever doubted Kouji.

He watched as Kouji flopped down on one of the beds and began snoring loudly. He sighed as he shrugged out of his coat and sat down on the other bed, his chin in his hand as he tried to wrap his head around the situation.

He grumbled and gave up, flopping back on the bed and closed his eyes.

He'd worry about it tomorrow. Now if he could only get some damned sleep...

***

Tamahome was nearly dragged to the Temple of Suzaku behind an exhilarated Ji, not entirely against his will. Ji was trying to help in the only way she could and that made him smile. The more he got to know about her, the deeper he could feel himself falling for her.

The golden Phoenix perched proudly on top of the roof and glittered in the setting sun. They walked inside. A twin statue of the guardian above the temple was frozen in mid ascent before them.

Tamahome studied the temple in silent awe.

He had never expected the shrine to be this luxurious, but he couldn't think of what else he was expecting. There were rich decorative tapestries and golden beads hanging from the ceiling. The alter was exquisitely carved in brilliant golden hues. Suzaku itself was stunning, wings spread and caught in a shower of sparkling ash.

Inside the shrine, Miboshi examined the four sets of stairs leading up toward one central point. In the middle rest a massive gold cauldron, filled with coal. The alter. It must be from those ashes that Suzaku would rise.

She turned and smiled brilliantly at Sou.

"It's magnificent," she said, taking his hand.

Ji approached the statue of Suzaku and knelt before the winged God of the South. She closed her eyes in silent prayer.

Yes, this would work. This would work perfectly. She couldn't do it now, not with him here, but now that she had an idea of the shrine's layout, there was nothing stopping her from setting off the chain of events that would lead to the fulfillment of her dreams.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked over at Sou, his own head bowed in reverence.

"It's getting late, we should probably turn in for the night, right? I want to tell the others the good news in the morning," she smiled.

Tamahome looked up at the sound of her voice and smiled. He felt calmer now. This was a wonderful idea. He nodded and stood up. He didn't realize that the day had gotten on so fast. He took Ji's hand and lead her out.

"Thank you for helping." He smiled at her, the warmth returning to his heart.

He took a last look at the shrine. The light being filtered through the windows was a deep golden orange. It lit the statue so it really did look like the bird was being born in fire.

They walked back to the palace.

"What good news?" he asked Ji.

Miboshi clenched her teeth to keep her words from lashing forth. What she was feeling earlier? That must have been some kind of hormonal fluke. This disdain was much more familiar.

They stopped outside her door. Ji smiled and flicked his nose gently.

"About us, silly," she said, giggling.

She looked both ways to make sure no one was in the hallway, then stood up on her toes and placed a kiss at the corner of his mouth.

"Goodnight," she said.

Lingering, she pulled open her door, then slipped inside. Her eyes never left his until she was out of sight. She leaned her back up against the door and contemplated this evening.

She'd charmed a fool, watched another nearly drown, and inspected the altar of Suzaku. Now all she had to do was wait until the sounds of the palace were tucked away underneath a blanket of silence. Then she'd take her dreams within her own hands.

She held up a slender hand and watched the bracelets on her tiny wrist tap against one another. What would Ji-hime think of herself now? She'd taken this worthless, vapid excuse for a life and given it breath, given it substance.

She clenched her fist and gave herself a wicked smirk.

_Tell me when there are no others in the gardens. When everyone has turned down for the night, distract the guards who patrol that area._

_Yes._ was all the response she got.

And it was more than enough. She sat down on the edge of her bed and peered out the window at the night's newest stars.

"Come to me, little birdie, I'll take good care of you."

***

Nursing his injured pride, Hotohori wandered through the palace halls. Miaka hadn't turned down his proposal, but she didn't say yes. The bandits were fiercely protective of the girl, which was a benefit to the cause of the summoning.

He was feeling a bit foolish, but still hopeful. He needed to focus his mind on the coming day. The emissary would arrive early on and everyone needed to be on their best behavior. The bandits were a nuisance, to say the least. He would suggest to Miaka to take them into town for the majority of the day, avoiding any suspicion from Kutou.

He sighed, so lost in his thoughts he almost ran into Nuriko. "Oh! My apologies. I'm happy to see you. I need someone to speak with before I retire for the evening if you don't mind."

Nuriko's smile brightened and he bowed gently to the Emperor. All evening he'd been imagining Hotohori proposing, stooping down on one knee and taking his hand. It was a dream come true.

"As you wish, your Highness," Nuriko gleefully said, his heart racing as he followed the Emperor into one of the spare rooms and took a seat by the window. "I pray that your evening has been wonderful, Hotohori-sama."

Fiddling with the hemline of his outermost robe, Nuriko beamed. The Emperor was so enchanting in the candlelight.

"I fear I made a fool of myself tonight. Everything was going so well..." He sighed, leaning against the wall. He thought about how beautiful Miaka looked in the dim light of the room. He'd been improper in kissing her.

"Tell me... does Miaka have her heart set on Kouji?"

"Miaka and Bandit-chan?" Nuriko studied the Emperor's features as he sighed. "Kouji and Miaka aren't together, your Highness." What was all this talk of Miaka? Did the Emperor mean to propose to that silly girl, the miko?

"What troubles you, Hotohori-sama?" Gingerly resting a hand on the Emperor's, Nuriko smiled softly.

Nuriko was very kind to him. Perhaps he should consider her more seriously.

"I asked Miaka to marry me, but before she could answer the two bandits showed up and... well, let's just say that if they weren't friends of Miaka then they would not still be alive."

He clenched his fists in frustration again. "I'm not usually the sort of man to overreact, Nuriko, but these two are bad for Miaka. One of them is a Suzaku seishi, Tasuki. His motives may be genuine but the other... I don't trust."

Nuriko felt his gut clench as he heard the news. Hotohori had meant Miaka and not him with regards to the proposal. At least the miko hadn't answered, and for once, Nuriko was pleased with Kouji and Tasuki's antics.

"Don't trust?" Nuriko glanced down, his thoughts racing. What was the Emperor implying?

But the more heart clenching matter was the attempted proposal was not aimed at Nuriko. Nuriko suddenly found himself leaning over towards Hotohori, his arms clinging to the Emperor helplessly as he placed a gentle kiss on Hotohori's lips.

Hotohori was shocked as Nuriko's lips touched his own. He knew that the ladies of the palace all hoped to marry him but none had been so forward as Nuriko. He took her chin in his hand, tilting it up to him as he kissed her back.

Their lips parted as he put his hands on her waist, pushing her back. He didn't quite know what to tell her. "Nuriko... what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, your Highness," he said softly, looking away, "Its just that… I-I've loved you all these years since I first came here. I love you, Hotohori-sama!"

"Nuriko..." he smiled at her, wiping away her tears and holding her close. He was touched by her honesty. He kissed her on the cheek, then the lips again, pulling her close to him... then paused.

When he had pulled Miaka close he felt the softness of her body. Nuriko felt like...

No, he ignored it. He pulled her closer so that her legs were on either side of his thigh. As he pulled her in he noticed something else Miaka hadn't had. He stopped kissing her in that moment. "Nu-Nuriko... is there something you should tell me?"

The girlish blush on Nuriko's cheeks was now a crimson blaze.

"I-I uh," Nuriko twiddled his fingers against each other as he climbed off the Emperor. "I'm a man."

With that, Nuriko backed towards the door and bolted, laughing hysterically to mask his embarrassment.

Hotohori found himself staring after her/him/it very confused, figuring it best not to follow her at this point. He wandered off to the room he'd be staying in instead of his own. He needed his beauty sleep for the meeting. Who knows? Maybe the emissary would be a beautiful woman. He closed his eyes but knew he would still dream of Miaka that night.

***

Tetsuya strolled into the palace library, Keisuke in tow. Why did it always have to be the library? Kourin had recited to them the legend of the miko in the library. Hopefully Ou would clarify things about the legend and also give them some information on the country of Kutou, again in the library. And, needless to say, this entire thing was happening because Miaka and Yui had found some odd book _in the library._

Right now, Tetsuya would be perfectly content to avoid libraries for the rest of his life.

He went up to the librarian--no, they were called "archivists" in this world--and asked if: a) he'd seen a boy around, likely very bright, possibly a guest of the Emperor's, and b) where in this room was information on Kutou to be found?

The librarian looked at Tetsuya skeptically, but finally waved him in a general direction of where he could find what were probably the unclassified documents regarding Kutou. Tetsuya and Keisuke both saw a boy sitting at one of the tables nearby, apparently engrossed in whatever it was he was looking at. Occasional mutterings of "too soon", "prophecy", and "why seven?" escaped his lips. This could be the boy that they were looking for. Considering everyone else in the room was a least a 50cm taller than him, he was probably the one they were looking for.

Keisuke studied the chunk of missing wall while Tetsuya talked to the archivist. The dust seemed to have settled, and the charred books were stacked out of the way. That night seemed like so long ago now...

He turned back and followed the archivist's dismissive wave toward a boy pouring over a massive scroll. He wasted no time in walking over to the corner that was indicated. He gave a tired smile.

"Hello. I don't know if you know her, but I'm Miaka's brother. I'm Yuuki Keisuke, and this is my friend Kawajiri Tetsuya. Are you Chiriko? The Emperor told us that a boy by that name might be able to help us find out more about summoning Suzaku."

Even though it sounded kind of stupid, Keisuke let it be, and waited slightly awkwardly for an answer.

For a moment, it looked like Keisuke hadn't even been heard. Then, realizing that someone had, in fact, addressed him, Ou put down the scroll and turned to face whomever it was that had just referred to him.

There was a half-beat where things still didn't process, but then understanding clicked into place, and Ou brightened visibly.

"Oh! You're the brother of the girl who's from Tou-kyou. Her name is Miaka, then? And you're Keisuke, and the person with the black eyes is Tetsuya. My name is Ou. What would you like to know about the summoning ritual?"

Keisuke gave a relieved smile.

"Yeah. We're trying to find out everything we can about Suzaku and the ritual. What it entails, what happens once Miaka tries to summon the god, what role the shichiseishi play, what happens if it fails..."

A voice in the back of his mind was calling all of this insane, but he'd seen enough here to know that if he didn't start accepting where he was, he wasn't going to get back to his own world.

"Well, there's a lot that's been written on the summoning ritual. Some of it is old legend, some of it prophetic writings, and some of it is just people trying to make a few coins by spouting gibberish about the time to come. It's hard to figure out which sources belong to which categories. I was hoping the imperial library would have more definitive material, but they seem to have collected most of the things I've already seen before."

Ou looked back over at the scroll he was reading just a moment ago, seemed to think for a moment, and then returned his attention to Keisuke.

"So what would you like me to tell you? What the traditional legend is, what we think is going to happen, or just everything?"

Keisuke mulled over Ou's question. It wasn't as if they didn't know anything about the summoning, but it'd help to go over whatever this boy thought was important. He was bound to have some bit of information they hadn't come across.

"Yeah, everything, I guess, if you don't mind," he said, a bit sheepishly.

"Everything is a lot. But, if we want to get this in perspective, I guess we have to start at the beginning... our legends tell us that the four kingdoms used to be one united Empire, under the rule of a benevolent king. This king had four sons, and after his death, the sons could not agree on which of the great gods the Empire would worship primarily. The sons each took their god and carved out kingdoms of their own from the previous Empire. Our empire, as you can see, has the son who chose Suzaku, the phoenix."

"This is the beginning of The Universe of the Four Gods, by the way - most people don't know that the first segment of it is a history of the kingdoms from their founding to the time of the prophetic vision. They're more concerned with the second part, the one that looks forward, rather than the first, which looks back. Anyway, we jump ahead about one thousand years to the point where the kingdoms received a visitor from the Empire of Chi'n. He was one of the generals of their Emperor, and he looked at the kingdoms from the eye of a practiced military man. He traveled the countries, inspecting defenses, armies, and offering his advice wherever someone would pay for it. The record of his travels was written in a language unfamiliar to us, the language of his Empire. His account is considered to be accurate and authoritative based on what else was being written at the time."

"We wouldn't have known what was said in these accounts were it not for a different visitor from the same Empire, some five hundred years later. He called himself Kong, but his brilliance quickly earned him several other names and titles. In his books, he had a copy of the writing system the General had used, and so we were able to translate the General's papers in short order, using the books and the knowledge of Master Kong himself. Afterwards, Master Kong traveled the empires, offering his advice and wisdom to officials and the Emperors. His way was rejected as foolish by all the kings, but they listened raptly to his claims of 'superior men' that would definitely be found in the kingdoms. Either Master Kong managed to return to Chin, or he died... the account is not clear. But after that, the four Emperors raged war on each other, seeking these 'superior men'."

"There is not much written about those times, other than the violence and destruction wrought on all the kingdoms by the Emperors' pursuits. Thus, we jump ahead several generations to the point where the wars finally ended, the empires of the four nearly ruined. Considering their previous opulence, the best estimates say this took nearly another five hundred years. The first part of The Universe of the Four Gods ends with a note about the appearance of a wandering poet from a new kingdom, one called Nii-pohn. This poet is was named Bah-sho, according to the accounts."

Ou looked at Keisuke and Tetsuya. "Any questions so far?"

Keisuke nodded along, listening to every bit of information that Ou bestowed upon them with fervent interest. The history of this world was fascinating, and he was sure that with this much knowledge stored inside Ou's brain, eventually something would be said that would really be of use. For now though, it was plenty entertaining just following along.

He shook his head, "No questions, please go on."

"Okay. This is the part where most people start, so there's a lot more written from here to the end. Bah-sho was a very talented poet, and his verses were sought by many. He was already a moderately successful poet in Nii-pohn, so this wasn't a shock to him. What was, though, was that he apparently also had a gift for prophecy. In some of the verses he wrote, the good fortune or misfortune that had come to his mind came to pass. Rumors of his gift spread faster than the rumors of his poetic skill, and in time he was sought by many to see what he could of their destinies. As his fame grew, so grew the skills of his poetic prophecies. There were many who said that Tai Yi-Jun herself whispered in his hear when he asked for a prophecy.

In time, each of the four Emperors sought him out to see what blessings he would give on their kingdoms. According to the legends, each Emperor was given the same prophecy, down to the syllable." Ou tried his best to look prophetic and serious, and only managed cute. But what followed was important.

_"When the country is on the brink of destruction, a girl from another world will throw open the door between her world and yours. She will be the priestess of your god; she will gather the seven warriors born from stars to protect her and summon the god to save your country."_

"The Emperors were naturally puzzled, but they thanked Bah-sho for his words and returned to their duties. The words of the prophet were written down, and for the most part, forgotten. There were ups and downs, and several times, each country thought it might have found the breaking point from whence Bah-sho's words would be revealed to be true, but then the country recovered. The Emperors were beginning to wonder if this particular time, Bah-sho was wrong. And then, about one hundred years ago, Qu-Dong began to make war on Bei-jia. At the point where Qu-Dong was ready to march on the capital, a girl from Nii-pohn came forth, and Bei-Jia, strengthened by the power of their priestess and the God, were able to drive Qu-Dong back. Undeterred, Qu-Dong waited for two generations to rebuild its strength, and then attacked Xi-Liang. Right before the country would have fell, another girl from Nii-pohn appeared, and, backed with the Tiger's fury, they drove Qu-Dong back to their borders. It's been a couple generations since then, and there are rumors that war will be coming to Hong-Nan. There are several who await the priestess's appearance, and many are beginning to think that Miaka is the girl, even though she's from To-kyou, rather than Nii-pohn. I'm trying to figure out if that's true, and these accounts aren't helping. They're full of contradictions and interpretations of Bah-sho's work, and it's almost impossible to pin down an agreement between any of them." Ou let out a frustrated sigh.

"Anyway, that's what we know. The rest is speculation that you probably don't want to hear."

"Qu-Dong?" Tetsuya murmured under his breath. Qu-Dong...Kutou? Coincidence? Probably not. Especially with the "Nii-pohn" part. His eyes narrowed slightly behind his shades. This was raising more questions than answers, and he wasn't too sure if he wanted to actually know the answers to those questions.

"Ou-san..." It felt strange to use the honorific with a mere boy, but, as to be expected in this foreign world, this wasn't a mere boy. "...is it possible for two priestesses to appear simultaneously?"

And there was a question he really didn't want answered definitively.

"It's unprecedented, but since the Seiryuu seishi are active, I would assume that Seiryuu no Miko has appeared, no da," Chichiri said, seemingly popping out of nowhere.

Startled by the appearance of Houjun, Ou flailed wildly and fell out of his chair.

"Ow..." Ou picked himself up and re-sat down.

"Ou-kun, is it, no da? I'm Li Houjun and Suzaku seishi Chichiri, na no da. Hotohori-sama said he spoke to you about the summoning, no da?" Chichiri cocked his head to the side.

"To answer your question, Tetsuya, the prophecy only says that the priestess will appear when the country is about to be destroyed. If Qu-Dong is facing a similar situation, then it's possible their priestess could appear, or could have appeared."

Turning his attention to the smiling Houjun, Ou shrugged. "All I heard His Majesty ask was for me to stay in the area for a bit. My guess is that he wants some research done on the summoning ceremony. Soon, though, I've got to turn my attention back to the upcoming exam. If I fail that, I'll disgrace my family."

"Oh." Tetsuya nearly leaped out of his skin at the appearance of the monk. Where in the world had the man come from? Startled as he was, it took a moment for the monk's--Chichiri's--words to sink in. It took another for the instant formation of a low-grade headache. "Oh, _wonderful._"

Miaka was already fixed as the Priestess of this country. Tetsuya had the sinking suspicion that he knew who the Priestess of Kutou was. In fact, he, Keisuke, and Miaka all probably knew who the other priestess was. He fought the urge to bang his head against the nearest shelf.

"Why can't things ever be simple?" he groaned. He shook his head and looked at Chichiri. "The...Seiryuu Seishi are active? Are you sure? I mean, how do you know?"

Keisuke picked himself up off the floor where he'd landed during his near-faint from Houjun's sudden appearance. Everything clicked into place for him at the same time as Tetsuya. Yui was probably out there. She would be with an entirely different group of people in a whole other country, and they had no way of finding her. At least, if Miaka's seishi were any indication, she'd have plenty of warriors to defend her.

"Are they with Yui-chan? Has anyone spotted her?" Keisuke tailed Tetsuya's questions.

"Mm," Chichiri pondered Ou's words.

Before he could say anything else, the boys from Tokyo were bombarding him with questions.

"The beastman who took Miaka-sama is a Seiryuu seishi, no da. I've also seen a couple others. I can sense their chi, the energy of Seiryuu, no da."

His eyes glanced over an illuminated manuscript with a blue dragon curling around the edges of the page.

He shook his head at Keisuke.

"I've not heard anything concrete about another girl, no da. But if Miaka-sama summons Suzaku, and she asks that you all be returned home, then she will also be brought back with you, no da."

He noticed Keisuke's intake of breath as he was about to say something.

"On that note! Ou-kun, I've also sensed the chi of Suzaku in you, no da. Have you noticed a mark on your body? One that marks you as Chiriko, no da?"

Mark? Ou thought for a bit. Well, there was that one time, but that was just a dream... he'd imagined it while passing out in front of the Emperor. There was no way he was one of the chosen warriors. For one thing, he had exams to get through. Then, maybe, he might be worthy of something like that.

Even as he dismissed it in his head, there was something compelling about Houjun's question, that despite all the reasons why he wasn't Chiriko, he should answer honestly...

"Not really. There was one time where I thought I saw something, but I think I was seeing things from being in the presence of His Majesty. I don't think that Suzaku would be reckless enough to choose a child to protect his priestess. I'm probably not Chiriko. Just someone blessed by Suzaku with a gift."

Unbidden, a memory jumped to the forefront of his mind - a fortune-teller he had seen once, when his parents weren't around to scold him for it. She'd said that he had the mark of Suzaku on him, and that when the time was right, it would show. She'd probably said that to everyone, though, and now he was just trying to make connections that weren't there. Still, she seemed to have taken more of an interest in him than in anyone else who was there...

"The beastman," Tetsuya repeated. He glanced at Keisuke, the memories still quite fresh from their encounter. "That _really_ doesn't put my mind at ease. Especially since he was looking specifically for Miaka."

He wanted to ask if the beastman had been acting on the Seiryuu Priestess's orders but couldn't bring himself to. He rubbed his temples, trying to dispel the headache before it grew worse. The unsettling news had thrown him so off his stride that he didn't hear Ou speaking--an unusual occurrence, but this was an unusual situation all around.

"So we're in a race with the Priestess of Seiryuu..." He couldn't bring himself to say Yui's name either, at least not right now, when all they were working with were conjecture and circumstantial evidence. "...to see who can summon her god first?"

If this weren't so serious, it would be a rather sturdy foundation for a farce.

"Hm..."

The gears in Chichiri's mind turned. Could Ou be unaware of his status as a seishi, just like Kaen and Miboshi seemed oblivious to their gift from Seiryuu?

"Not necessarily, no da. If your Yui has accepted her seishi, then they would be trying to summon Seiryuu. But unless she has a reason to dislike Miaka-sama, then both she and Miaka-sama can summon Suzaku and Seiryuu, no da. They don't cancel each other out, no da. My concern is who ordered the beastman to kidnap Suzaku no Miko, no da..."

Chichiri looked down at Ou. None of this would matter, and all of it would be taken care of in short order, if only this boy was Chiriko.

"Do you mind if I run a few tests, no da? It won't hurt, and it won't take long, no da. If you are Chiriko, then all of this potential conflict can be avoided when we call Suzaku, na no da."

Ou shrugged. "Sure. If you want to. What do you need me to do?" If this guy wanted to see, he could look.

There were a myriad of questions Keisuke still had to ask, but he decided to keep them to himself until the monk was finished with Ou.

"You don't need to do anything special, no da," Chichiri said, gripping his beads.

He closed his eyes and cleared his mind for concentration. The beads gave off a faint glow between his fingers. His temperature rose as his chi activated, and the air surrounding him buzzed with energy. Keisuke and Tetsuya faded away, along with the piles bricks, books, and scrolls. Only Ou's form made itself present in his mind. Chichiri felt along the chords of his chi with his own.

Keisuke took in a quick breath. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen anything mystically downright impossible in this world before, but the glowing beads were a little on the creepy side.

Chichiri's eyes flew open. He'd found it - the source of Ou's chi.

"Ou-kun, can I see your left foot, no da?"

"Hrm?" Ou lifted his foot for the monk to see. Nothing there that was out of the ordinary. If Houjun had thought there was something there, he must have been mistaken.

"Sorry. Doesn't look like there's anything there. Must be disappointing, huh?"

Chichiri raised a hand to his chin. He had been absolutely sure that this boy was one of Suzaku's guardians. Why else would his chi be attuned so closely with the phoenix god's?

"Hm..." he pondered, then shrugged.

"If you do see a mark there, let me know, no da. It would be in the best interest for everyone here, and for Konan, if you let Hotohori-sama or myself know immediately, no da. Thank you for letting me conduct my test, no da," Chichiri bowed, eyeing the boy suspiciously from behind his mask.

He'd need to speak with Miaka and Hotohori in the morning. He placed a hand on Keisuke's shoulder.

"You should all get some sleep, no da."

He turned and left the library, contemplating the newest strange developments.

Keisuke watched the monk until he was out of sight. Did that whole... thing that just went on mean that they didn't have all of Miaka's warriors gathered? Did that mean that they weren't going home soon after all?

They dove in looking for answers, and as usual, they'd come up with more questions. Yui-chan could be Seiryuu no Miko? And her seishi were trying to kidnap Miaka? Maybe she just really wanted to see Miaka again - to make sure she was safe. But they knew she was at the palace, right?

Keisuke rubbed the sides of his head furiously.

"Arrrgh!"

He dropped his hands to his sides and sighed.

"I guess he's right. Doesn't look like we can find anything else out tonight, and I'm pretty beat."

He cricked his shoulder to emphasize his point, and just cause, well, it damn well hurt.

"Thank you for your help, Ou-san. I appreciate it," he bowed his head to the boy.

He rose and placed a hand on Tetsuya's shoulder, as Chichiri had done to him.

"I'm mailing it in tonight. If you wanna stay here, that's cool. I'll probably be back in the morning after I check on Miaka."

***

Tamahome walked down the hallways of the palace, only half remembering where his room was. His hand was gingerly touching the spot where he had been kissed and he was smiling happily to himself in a kind of mellow daze when a purple blur whizzed past him, spinning him on one foot in a five sharp circles before Tamahome fell over.

His head was still spinning and dizzy when he fell. He grabbed it with both hands and tried to steady his vision.

"Nuriko!" he yelped after the purple braid flying down the hall.

Nuriko stopped. "Yes, Tamahome-chan?" he said, placing his hands on his hips, "What do you want? Or are you beckoning me over so I can get humiliated more?"

Tamahome stood up and brushed off the dust from his clothes. Amazing how even the palace could have dust on the floor. He eyed Nuriko suspiciously.

"Humiliate you? No, I was wondering where you were running to," he considered his last statement, "Or from, in such a hurry. What did they..."

Tamahome glanced down at the skirt Nuriko was fussing with and quirked an eye brow, placing his finger on his chin in thought.

"…Someone forced you to wear women's clothes!" Tamahome declared, thinking he had solved the mystery of why Nuriko had been humiliated.

Nuriko shook his head violently for a second. "No, I choose to wear these, Tama-chan! I was romancing His Majesty until he figured out I wasn't a woman. What are you doing over here? Looking for someone?"

Tamahome had to ignore the itch to call the purple-haired Seishi a pervert. Instead he just eyed him strangely and nodded.

"I was heading back to my room, but I should probably find Tasuki."

"Tasuki-kun? Oh!" Nuriko nodded, smiling, "He's probably in Bandit-chan's room! It's down that hall, first door to the left. You can't miss it! Night Tama-chan!" Picking up the hem of his dress, Nuriko wandered off to find his own room.

Tamahome watched as an overly happy Nuriko skipped off to his room, daintily holding the hem of his dress off the floor.

He waited till he was out of sight, then headed off in the direction Nuriko had pointed. He gave a light tap on the door at first, a little shy to be coming around this late at night. When there was no answer, he rapped louder.

"Tasuki?"

Tasuki had just barely gotten his eyes to close against the thoughts warring in his head when someone decided to knock his door in.

Leaving his coat and shirt on the bed he staggered to the door and opened it, gazing blearily at who was standing there.

"Whadaya," he yawned, "want?" He blinked sleepily at the dark figure standing at the door. Once his vision cleared of sleep, he frowned. "Come to push me back in th' lake, aho?"

"I didn't do it on purpo..." he stopped himself and took an deep breath. "I came to apologize about that."

Tasuki raised a brow, giving Tamahome an 'I-don't-believe-you' look. "Sure ya did," he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

Tamahome bit back a stinging 'did not!!' and furrowed his brow in frustration.

"I was just trying to lighten the mood after you made out like I was molesting her," he began, "I didn't know you couldn't swim."

He spoke slowly and evenly, trying not to get too defensive.

Tasuki sighed and waved Tamahome in. "Get your ass in here, baka. I don't wanna air all this dirty laundry out in th' fuckin' hallway."

He moved over to his bed and snatched up his shirt, tugging it on over his head. "You was tryin' to lighten th' mood, eh? Funny, it seemed to make things worse." He turned and glared at Tamahome, arms crossed once more.

"I told you I wasn't trying to drown you!"

At least he was glad that they had moved inside. That little outburst would have woken someone up.

He toned down his voice and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

He didn't much like the way Tasuki was glaring at him, as if he would ever try and intentionally hurt someone.

"But did ya bother tryin' to help me out when ya saw I didn't come back up? Hell no! Chiri hadda save my ass. Again! Shit, Tama, when we first met you was tryin' to BURY ME! An' then today ya pushed me into th' lake over a stupid little comment. I was just messin' with ya, man!"

He growled and sat on the edge of the bed, turning his head so that he wouldn't have to see Tamahome.

Tamahome took a step towards him.

"I thought you were dead!" He couldn't help getting on the defensive, "I was burying you cause I thought you had died trying to save my family!"

He shook his head, "I didn't have time to react. By the time Chichiri told me you couldn't swim he had jumped in already. What was I supposed to do? Jump in and get in his way? It's not like two people can do mouth-to-mouth on you at the same time! He just got there first!"

Tamahome had started to rant and without realizing it, he had moved closer with every sentence.

"I was tryin' to save your family, an' I guess ya was tryin' to do th' honerable thing. But I couldn't help but think ya was tryin' to finish th' job ya started that day," he glowered, his tone no longer growling but still unhappy. "An' no, ya didn't gotta do nothin' fer me. Just don't get near me when there's water around, aho. I don't wanna get dunked again."

He kept his face turned away, still not happy with how this conversation was going.

"I won't," Tamahome said after Tasuki was done. "In fact, I won't come near you, period, since you seem to hate me. After this whole summoning thing, we don't even have to know the other exists anymore. We won't be celestial warriors cause our miko will be merrily on her way home."

It came out sounding more snide than he had expected. He sighed and turned around.

"I really didn't mean to hurt you. I meant what I said about being brothers."

Tasuki looked up. "I don't hate ya, I'm just pissed about ya pushin' me in th' lake, aho. You c'n forget we know each other if'n ya wanna, that's up to you," he shrugged and glanced over to the slumbering bandit in the next bed.

"He's th' closest thing to a brother I got anyway. An' he's a drunk baka what don't know nothin'."

Tamahome glanced over at what Tasuki was looking at. "I was just suggesting it if you wanted." He paused and thought for a second. "I thanked you right?" he asked.

Turning around, he let the door close again.

"I mean for saving... for trying to save them, right?"

He honestly couldn't remember. There had been so many things to take in, to consider.

Tasuki frowned, thinking back as best he could. "Uh, I think so, but I ain't sure. Ya don't gotta thank me no way, I didn't... I couldn't save them." He gave Tamahome a sympathetic smile.

"Wish I could'a earned that thanks, but I didn't get there in time."

"Neither did I." He sighed.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room for a long pause.

"But Nuriko got Chuei and Yuiren out." He forced a smile. "I should be getting back to them, but... You accept it, right? My apology?"

Tasuki sighed and nodded, "Yeah, I accept it. Just don't do that shit no more! I ain't always gonna have a kitsune-monk around to keep me from dyin'," he winked and waved at Tamahome, showing there were no hard feelings.

Tamahome smiled, the weight of this thing getting off his chest.

"Thank you Tasuki, really. I didn't want there to be any hard feelings."

Taski smirked, showing a hint of fang. "Nah, no hard feelin's. But I probably will push ya in th' lake, just as a joke."

Tamahome grinned, "At least I can swim, it's not a threat to me," he proclaimed.

"Maybe not, but you'll look damned funny all soppin' wet," he laughed and shook his head. "Arright, enough pickin'. Go on t'bed. I got's a Mi-chan to wake up in the mornin'."

He yawned and stretched, scratching his belly.

"Yeah..." he eyed Tasuki, wanting to ask about that topic, but decided it was too late. "Have a good night." He waved and closed the door behind him, heading back to his room for some much needed rest.

Tasuki nodded. Once the door closed he flopped back on the bed and grinned at the ceiling. "He fuckin' apologized. First time that's happened. Most times I'd get told I fuckin' deserved it. Che, brothers, eh? Wonder if'n that's how brothers act..." He yawned and drifted off to sleep, a soft grin on his face.

***

Miaka had been tossing and turning, her dreams haunting her with strange images and colors. She mumbled, thrashing in the covers. Someone was fighting in the dream and she was there to see it but she couldn't do anything. She sat straight up in the bed, bursting from the dream. "Tasuki! Kouji! Stop!"

She sat there in the darkness for a time, trying to catch her breath. She wiped the sweat off her brow, eyes darting around the room as they adjusted to the lack of light. _What was that dream? Are they in trouble?_

She snuck from her room down the hallway to the bedroom Kouji and Tasuki were sharing. She hid in the shadows as Tamahome left the room, making his way down the hall. Was Tamahome in the dream fight? She could hardly remember all the blurry images and voices and the longer she was awake the more it faded away. Sneaking forward, she tapped on the door gently.

"Gen-chan? Kouji-kun?" Snoring from within was a bit of a relief as she pushed the door open to check on them. Kouji appeared to be deep in a drunken sleep. She brushed away the hair from his face and set aside his sake bottle.

She tiptoed back over to Tasuki, watching his face. _He looks so cute when he's sleeping... like a baby. He's not as tough as he tries to be._ She found herself staring at his face rather intensely before turning her head away. _Why am I so infatuated with him? Tasuki... I never thought Gen-chan would be a Celestial Warrior. But I never thought I'd be a Priestess in a book! Still, this closeness I feel to him must just be related to that miko-seishi bond, I guess._

She pulled the covers up around him, blushing uncomfortably at the sight of his bare chest.

Tasuki lay sleeping, his dreams filled with confusing images. He was kissing Miaka again, and she tasted so sweet, felt so wonderful pressed against him.

Her scent drifted to his nose, light and sensual yet innocent; fitting for a miko. A warmth settled over him and he reached for it, pulling it to him and cuddling it to his chest.

Soft hair tickled his nose, sweet scented skin was silky under his fingers, and the delicious warmth felt so amazing against his cold body.

Miaka let out a small gasp as Tasuki pulled her into his arms. She landed a little strangely on top of him, pressing into his hips. "Psst… Gen-chan!" she whispered. He didn't seem to be awake or even aware of what he was doing as he held her tighter, his face rubbed up against her breasts. "Hey, baka, cut it out!" she whispered again. Not wanting to wake Kouji, she decided the best solution was to bonk him on the head.

Tasuki grunted and huddled his head down further, trying to escape the sharp rapping on his skull. "Nnn nu uh... mmm..." he hugged the softness against him ever tighter, pressing kisses to the sweetly scented skin. "Nnn... Mi-chan..."

He growled her name as his lips made their way across the bare skin of her chest. She inhaled sharply, enjoying the feeling. This wasn't really Tasuki. He was asleep and dreaming! Why did that disappoint her so? "Gen-chan, stop it!" she squirmed in his arms, saying it a bit more loudly now, hoping to wake him up.

Tasuki groaned and shook his head, fighting to stay in the sleepy warmth as long as he could. "Nnnuh uh, sleep." He kissed the silky skin once more then rolled it beneath him to use as his new favorite pillow. He snored softly, his head pillowed against feminine softness.

She was rolled underneath him, like a cushion. His hands were grabbing at her chest as he moaned and wiggled around, presumably getting comfortable. She felt his hips grinding against her and couldn't take it. "GEN-CHAN!"

Tasuki's head snapped up, and he stared in surprise. "W-what the hell are ya doin' in my fuckin' bed, Chibi Onna?" his voice was deep and rumbley with sleep, but the shock of hearing her scream his name so suddenly had woke him up rather fast.

Kouji bolted upright, clumsily awakening as his eyes trying to figure out what exactly was going on in the bed next to his. When his eyes finally adjusted, Kouji frowned, wishing that both the sake-induced headache and the sight before him would just vanish.

"What th' hell are ya doing to the miko, Genrou?" Eyes narrowing, he coughed as he spoke, his voice tired and scratchy.

"You pulled me into bed, rubbing your face on me like a pillow!" she stammered, feeling incredibly embarrassed and a little disappointed she'd had to end it.

Her frightened shriek had woken Kouji, who was looking none too happy about something. Whether it was being woken up, the hang over, or the fact that Tasuki was holding her like they were lovers she couldn't tell.

"I came to check on you both. I had a dream... no, it was more like a premonition. Something bad is going to happen. I was worried about both of you. It seemed like you two were fighting but I couldn't figure out what it was you were up against. All I saw was images of the two of you and this intense feeling of hatred."

She laughed, nervously, scratching the back of her head. "I sound silly, don't I?"

Tasuki sat up, moving off of her and allowing her to get off of his bed. "Heh, yeah. Yer a strange one, Chibi Onna. Me an' Kouji fightin' fer real would be like... like Kouji kissin' Hotohori; in other words, it ain't gonna happen."

He scooted to the edge of the bed, being careful to keep a respectable distance from her. "Sorry, bro. Didn't mean t'wake ya. Silly onna got too close while I was sleepin' an' got tangled in th' bed sheets. She fell in an' I rolled over her. No big deal. Go on back t'sleep Kouji, I'll take her back to her room. I'll be right back man."

He tugged on his shirt once more, then held out his hand to Miaka. "Well, ya plan on sleepin' in here with us or ya gonna let me take ya back to yer room?"

Kouji glanced at them in his drunken stupor, scratching his head just so. He struggled to not show any anger over Miaka's presence in his buddy's bed.

"Yeah, yeah. Take 'er back then." Growling to himself, Kouji shut his eyes, trying desperately to sleep.

As Tasuki explained himself Miaka couldn't help but wonder if he was lying to Kouji for some reason or if he really didn't realize what had gone on in the bed there. "I'd rather not end up a pillow. We can go back to my... well, Hotohori's room." She got back up, trying to smooth out the robe, and tiptoed out into the hall with her escort.

Tasuki grinned at Kouji and shook his head, following Miaka out of the room. "So, ya came t'check on us? Why? Bandits fight but at fuckin' midnight? Jeeze Mi-chan, I almost think ya had some hentai ideas comin' and crawlin' in bed with me," he leered at her, winking playfully.

"Next time, I come to yer room an' wake you out of a dead sleep when ya molest me. Sound fair?"

"I did not!" she protested, a little too loudly. She hushed herself before continuing. "I was just worried, okay? You're so impulsive that if you thought I was in danger I bet you'd run off to fight." She stopped walking after a few more steps. "It seemed you were the one with being hentai on his mind anyway. You were... very, very friendly with me."

It was time to test him. "What were you dreaming?"

Tasuki colored, his face heating up as he turned his head. "I-I dunno what ya mean. I was... well, nothin'. I mean, I was dreaming I'm sure, but it wasn't... wasn't hentai." His cheeks felt like they were bright enough to light their way to her room.

"I-I wasn't b-bein' 'friendly,' I was uh... well, I thrash around when I sleep. Eh?" He couldn't take the chance that she'd see his dark blush so he kept his face averted.

"Ehhhh?" She teased him, poking him in the side. "It's too bad you don't remember. I was hoping you could explain why you were kissing me again." She smiled, amused by how shy he was being. He'd kissed her so many times in the last few days it was as though he had no control over it.

"You usually kiss when you thrash around?"

His face heated more and he stopped, gripping her hand. "Arright, so I was dreamin' about... well, nothin' ya need t'worry about. An', no, I don't kiss nothin' when I thrash around. Hell, yer th' only real girl I ever kissed. That damned witch demon thing don't count..." he quickly closed his mouth, mortified that he had admitted to having only ever kissed her.

She blinked a few times in surprise, not sure what to say. "I see... I guess that explains it then." She was a little sad, hoping he'd been dreaming about her like she dreamed of him. "When you were kissing me you said my name. I thought maybe you'd woken up, but I was wrong." She smiled even though she felt a tight pain in her chest.

Tasuki pulled her over, hugging her to his chest. "I'm sorry Mi-chan. Seems I gotta practice keepin' my hands offa you," he sighed into her hair, "I'm sorry, seems I'm always grabbin' ya and kissin' ya. I know ya gotta be gettin' sick of that. I'll be sure t'try an' keep my hands to myself."

He didn't want to let her go, but felt that he probably should and let his arms drop slowly from her waist.

She wanted to scream out that he could kiss her all he wanted but she couldn't do it. Not now, not here. "It's okay, really. Don't worry about it. Besides, I shouldn't have been in your room." She snuggled into the embrace, breathing his scent in deeply. His hands slowly slid from her middle, but she was too shy to ask him to hold her longer.

"If I'd done that to you in the middle of the night I'm sure you would have been pretty freaked out, huh?" she laughed.

Tasuki shook his head, gazing down at her. Something thumped hard in his chest, told him to lean forward and kiss her again. But hadn't he just said he would keep his hands off of her? Screw it, he'd start keeping that promise tomorrow. "No, I'd have kissed ya back and ya probably wouldn't be able... nah, never mind." He tilted her chin up and smirked before pressing a sweet kiss to her lips.

"Here's yer room, Chibi Onna. Sleep well." He kissed her again, parting her lips gently.

He was kissing her again and she didn't mind at all. She kissed him back this time, gently but eager. She moved into him with the second kiss before she broke away. Her face was a mixture of shock and joy.

"Ne, Gen-chan, could we spend some time alone together tomorrow? I want to see more of the city and I thought you could go too." When she realized that she'd just asked him on a date her body froze. Did they even have dates here? Why had she done such a silly, silly thing? Still... there was a chance.

Tasuki grinned down at her and cupped her cheek. "Sure Onna, I'll take ya around to the best shops in th' city." He pecked her lips again and turned for his room. A smirk gracing his lips as he nearly danced down the hall. _Hot damn, I got a date!_

Miaka touched her cheek where he'd touched it, just the hint of a smile on her lips as she went back into the room. She let the door slide shut and sighed with relief. Her motives weren't entirely pure... if something was going to happen to Tasuki and Kouji she wanted to keep an eye out. On the other hand, she really wanted some time alone with Tasuki.

_'Don't get ahead of yourself, Miaka.'_ she tried to remind herself but it was no good. She was closing her eyes and dreaming of him before her head hit the pillows for the last time that night.

Tasuki paused at the door to Kouji's room, hand on the knob and an itch in his body. He didn't want to go inside; all he would end up doing would be rolling around in his bed and letting his mind wander to how he wanted the following morning to go.

He backed away from the door, turning and heading to the right in an effort to walk off his excess nerves. He was excited about the morning to come, but confused as to why he was so happy.

Just a day or so ago he'd been sad and mooning over Tamahome, but in the last twenty-four hours those emotions had flipped over and run towards Miaka. Was he over his stint with Tama? Was he feeling something real for Miaka?

Tasuki growled and stalked down the hallway, opening a door at random and looking inside.

Nuriko lay sleeping in a large silk strewn bed, thick purple hair spread out over his pillow and a small snore passing his pink painted lips. Tasuki shook his head and held in a laugh, closing the door behind him. Nuriko was weird. He didn't know whether to call him a man or a woman. Nuriko was just that; Nuriko and no other could be anything like him... err...her... er.... whatever.

A small grin on his face, he continued down the hall.

Turning right again, then left, followed by another right he finally decided to try his luck and peek in a room. The latch clicked softly under his hand and he eased open the door; bandit stealth training was such a wonderful thing!

The first thing to meet his eyes was Yuiren. The adorable little girl who owned a lot more than a piece of his heart was sleeping on her side, one hand clutched in a dark blue material. He smiled softly as he watched her sleep for a moment, an almost paternal warmth stealing over him. She was second to none in his heart. This little girl was the epitome of what he wanted his own daughter to be like- if he was ever lucky enough to have any kids.

A soft groan caught his attention and he lifted his eyes to the source of the sound. Tamahome and Chuei slept beside Yuiren, curled together in the large bed like a happy little family.

His eyes traced over Tamahome's face, trying to identify what about this man intrigued him so much. Was it the smooth skin? The gentleness in his smile? His ability to laugh at nearly anything, including Tasuki's antics? Maybe because he was so adoring and devoted to his family. Well, whatever it was, it was really confusing.

He backed out of the room, looking one last time at the family sleeping on the bed before he closed the door.

His wanderings soon took him back around to the room Miaka occupied. A confused smile on his face, he opened the door and looked in at her.

She was adorable; hair spread out over the pillow, arms wrapped around a pillow as if she were hugging another person, and a sweet smile on her lips. He moved to the bedside, shaking his head at how she'd kicked the blankets down to the foot of the bed, and pulled the coverlet back up to her shoulders. He paused as he made to lean back, and gently brushed a strand of hair off of her face.

Why did she make his chest so tight? Was it because she was the miko? Was it because she accepted him as he was? The way she said his name? The embarrassing yet endearing nicknames she gave him? The fact that she seemed to enjoy his kisses?

He didn't know, but he liked her. He liked her more than he'd dare admit. "Goodnight, my Mi-chan," he whispered as he pressed a soft kiss to her temple.

His body worn and very sleepy, he made his way out of her room and back to the one he shared with Kouji. He hadn't gotten everything figured out yet, but he was more aware of what was happening inside himself now.

He lay back on his bed and closed his eyes. _'I'll figure it out tomorrow. I gotta pick between two people I ilke and only one of 'em shows any interest in me. *grumble* Screw it, I'm goin' t'sleep.'_


	24. Chapter 23

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Between Konan and Kutou

Nakago shifted uncomfortably in his seat; he had always hated traveling in a coach and this time was proving to greaten that dislike exponentially. The only reason he'd agreed to travel this way, rather than on horse back, was because his Emperor had appointed him "Emissary of Kutou" and such a titled person couldn't seem so base as to arrive dust covered and stinking of horse flesh.

The only companion he had, other than the guards, was his pet monkey; Mr. Fingers. He'd had the monkey for several years, it was a gift from a visiting nobleman and the blasted mammal had latched itself on to him, refusing to let go.

In the years since the little monkey had come to him, he'd shown a great knack for ferreting out information and items of great importance.

At that moment, the monkey was chittering brightly and frolicking around the coach. Entertaining his master with tricks as the long road passed along outside.

Tomo winced as the sunlight poured down heavily on him and the other men surrounding the carriage. It had only been a day's ride southwest and yet Tomo was not used to traveling in such an admirable fashion.

Leaving a Shin to entertain the Emperor had been both brilliant and mischievous. By now the Emperor would have discovered the trick, but no matter: Nakago-san had given him divine permission to follow with the ambassadoring crowd. Soon they would hopefully be to Konan's dreadful palace.

Though he had removed all traces of his lovely makeup, Tomo was thankful that he hadn't worn it in such awful weather. The temperature was scorching to his pale skin, probably going to be sunburned soon enough. But it was for the almighty Emissary of Kutou that he was putting up with it. The shogun sat in the carriage in front of him, carted about like a noble of sorts.

"Hmpf," he said softly to himself as he kicked his stead to be closer to the coach. "Nakago-sama must be bored with such simplistic travel of a coach. Maybe I might as well entertain him."

***

Yui was quiet for most of the morning trip. Her mind was taking in her new surroundings and the men on horse back. She smiled at Koutoku when he took out his flute to play a tune. She made a mental note that he seemed much calmer out in the country than at the palace. It was Shun whom seemed to be sulky this morning.

The sun had been up for hours and Yui wished she'd worn her wristwatch in order to know precisely the time it would have been in Tokyo. Her legs and bottom were becoming sore from riding for so long. The last time she was on a horse was when her mother took her to a petting zoo outside the city as a child.

Yui turned in her seat so she could see Sergeant Zhi, who again reminded her of Tetsuya. She felt herself going warm at the thought of him.

"Excuse me Sergeant, but would it be okay to take a break soon?" she asked.

"Please call me Zhi and I don't see a problem with taking a rest," he replied. In return Yui gave him a shy smile. Zhi turned his body so not to jostle Yui from her perch when he spotted Fu in the back juggling to keep himself from boredom.

"Fu!" he shouted. Fu, not missing a beat, stopped his juggling and brought his horse to his commander's side.

"You summoned, oh powerful master," he said, with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Lady Yui has asked for a small break. I want you to go scout up ahead for an area suitable for us to take a short rest," Zhi commanded him flatly.

"Ah what ever the lady requests shall be done," Fu said as he bowed to Yui and Zhi before galloping up ahead of the others.

Yui couldn't help the small smile on her lips. She noted that ever since coming here, this was the first time she'd felt relaxed. After a few minutes Fu returned to say he found a small stream with shade off the road. Zhi directed him to pass the information along to the others that they would be stopping soon.

When they reached the spot Zhi got off the stallion first, then helped Yui to her feet. Yui nodded a 'thank you' and began to walk around, trying to get the soreness out of her legs.

Koutoku kept up a gentle refrain throughout the morning ride, allowing the horse to follow its companions while he played. He had closed his eyes, allowing the soft melody to soothe the discomfort he'd been feeling since the day they had been paired up with Yui-san.

She seemed like a nice enough girl but something about both her and the blonde shogun put him on edge, something he couldn't name and it was making his head hurt.

He finished up the melody he'd been playing and tucked his flute back in his shirt. He looked over his shoulder at Shun-chan and smiled. "Would you like to get down and stretch your legs? I'm sure we can find the stream and get some cool water if we go look."

"Yeah, good idea," Shunkaku said, jumping down from the horse.

He surveyed the area for anything that looked like a stream, and caught the glinting of what seemed like sunlight on water off in the distance. This sparked an absolutely brilliant idea.

"Yui-san!" he ran up to her and waved excitedly.

"I found a stream! Do you want to get some fresh water?"

He gave her a boyish grin.

Yui smiled at Shun and waved back at him. Zhi handed her a water skin and then returned to his duties as she moved toward the twins.

Tashi and Lawan were also bringing the horses to the stream. Zhi was looking a map over with Fu and Shui.

"Sergeant Zhi gave me a water skin to fill up," Yui said. "How are you enjoying the trip so far?" She found it weird that the minute they stopped Shun's mood suddenly changed. Yui wondered if he didn't like riding horses.

Lawan came over and handed the twins their own water skins, commenting that it might be some time before they reach the nearest town.

Shunkaku gave the soldier a look and swiped the skin from his hands. He turned back to Yui and his smile returned.

"Come on!" he said, running toward the water.

"You too, aniki!" he walked backward and waved at his brother.

_Heh, heh. We'll finally have some time away from Sergeant Jerkface. What do we need him here for anyway?_

Beside the stream, underneath a birch tree, Shunkaku pulled his shoes off and tossed them aside. Hurriedly, he rolled up his pant legs. He wiped underneath his nose with his thumb and beamed.

"Watch this!" Shunkaku said.

He took a running leap into the middle of the stream, aiming to land directly on a rock that was peeking out of the water. His feet came solidly down on the rock, and for a moment, he posed, his arms wide open, with a smug look on his face.

Up from the depths snuck an insidious evil. A sneaky stick covered in furry tendrils of algae. It saw its opportunity to strike, and brushed against Shun's bare foot.

"Ah!" he cried, drawing back onto one foot.

It was then he lost his balance and went careening into the shallow stream. He managed to twist himself around so he didn't fall face first, but the rocks had a rather uncomfortable meeting with his rear end.

Koutoku smiled at his brother and slid off of the horse, his knees wobbled a bit as he was un-used to riding, and he made his way over to the captain to retrieve his own waterskin.

At Shun-chan's hail, Koutoku turned and watched with a sense of second-hand enthusiasm as his brother leapt onto a large river rock, then promptly fell back onto his backside.

"Baka no Shun-chan." he muttered as he stepped past Yui-san and towards the water's edge to help him up. "Do you always have to embarrass yourself in front of girls Shun-chan?"

"I do not!" Shunkaku protested. Why did Koutoku have to make fun of him now? It was bad enough he'd fallen in front of Yui-san, but now this just made it worse. What if she found out how he felt about her? His face felt like it was on fire.

Yui stood behind Koutoku as he pulled Shun up. She was not aware that she had placed her hands on her hips as she looked at the fun-loving twin. Her mind hadn't even registered what Koutoku said about showing off in front of girls. She had been truly worried about her new friend. He could have gotten seriously hurt!

She had just opened her mouth to tell Shun to be more careful when Tashi and Lawan came over to them. Lawan playfully slapped Shun on the back and both soldiers had smiles on their faces with laughter in their eyes.

"That was some jump, my friend," Lawan chuckled.

"We came over to give some assistance, but it looks like you three have everything under control," Tashi noted.

Shun growled low. They... they were making fun of him, weren't they?! Shunkaku seethed like a miffed housecat.

He grabbed his waterskin and dunked it into the river with a loud splash.

Tashi took Yui's water skin from her hand and filled it up for her, then returned to the care of the horses. Lawan had found a log to sit on by the river bank.

"Have the two of you traveled in this part of your country?" Yui asked the twins.

"Not really, Yui-san. We're from the other direction." Koutaku was purposely vague and moved to his brother's side. "Come on Shun-chan, let me help you up."

Anger and embarrassment seeped into him; it seemed that his twin was upset by his comment as well as the comments made by the soldiers. He couldn't blame Shun-chan for being upset about what the Captain Zhi and his men had said, but he was curious as to why Shunkaku would be upset with him.

He was still unnerved by Yui-san, but tried to be polite at least. He could feel his brother's interest in her and, even if he didn't think it was a good idea, he'd support Shun-chan if that was what he wanted.

He felt bad for poking fun at his brother, but wasn't expecting the rest of the group to join in. _'Sorry Shun-chan, I didn't know they were going to tease you too.'_ He gave his brother a slight smile, asking for forgiveness. "I have your spare clothes in the saddlebags, let's get you dried off, Shun-chan."

Yui watched as the twins walked back to the horses. She held her water skin close to her chest. She couldn't understand the abrupt mood change of Shun. One moment he was happy as a five year old loose in a candy store and the next he acted as if someone took away his favorite toy.

Yui left the river bed to rejoin the party and Lawan followed behind her. Small rations were given to everyone to eat and there was little talking among the soldiers. After everyone had eaten Zhi ordered they had to get back onto the road.

An extra blanket was added on top of the saddle for Yui's comfort. Zhi and her would be riding together again. Fu went up ahead to scout the area and when he came back the little band started off again.

Yui was focused on the twins. For once she wasn't thinking about her friends from Tokyo but instead of the two boys that were reading on the mare beside her. She knew that she had to repay them somehow for their kindness. The question was how?

"I didn't even get a chance to ask..." Shunkaku mumbled to himself forlornly from atop the horse. He hugged his brother and laid his head on his back.

Koutoku hadn't meant to be mean to him. He knew he was only teasing. But those damn soldiers... If only something would happen to them so they could lose them forever!

Arms wrapped around him from behind and the familiar press of Shun-chan's head against his back pulled a small smile onto his lips. Koutoku laid his head back against Shun-chan's shoulder and closed his eyes.

Contact had always allowed them to relax after confusion or pain, probably a hold over from their time spent together in the womb.

They often garnered strange looks from people. No one seemed to understand their close bond and they had to keep moving else some of the more zealous townsfolk would throw stones at them and call them perverts. It wasn't anything like that, it was just something they had done since birth.

Be it eating, sleeping, walking, anything. They were always within touching distance.

"Didn't get to ask what, Shun-chan? I can tell you are upset, so tell me about it and I'll help you fix it."

He had a feeling that it had to do with Yui-san and, loathe as he was to allow someone else into their insular world- much less this particular girl since she gave him an eerie feeling in the pit of his stomach- he would always help his brother; and Shun-chan knew it.

Shun hadn't really expected an answer, so when Koutoku asked him about it, it aroused that old blush.

"Nothing!" he insisted, "It's nothing."

He picked his head up and gazed ahead at Yui's back. He'd never met a girl like her. For some reason, when he was with her, he felt like he was at home again. The home he'd had before war had torn his family apart. He'd known her for such a short time. It had to be destiny. It just had to be.

Sergeant Zhi called an order to one of his soldiers, and Shunkaku scowled. He plopped his cheek back down against his brother's back and glared at the grass as it passed by.

Koutoku felt a niggling in the back of his mind, it was strange. He'd never felt an emotion quite like this from his brother before. It was sort of a tug, like a pull from within, that confused yet enlightened at the same time.

He hung his head. It seemed his brother was more gone over Yui-san than he had thought. But where would that leave their bond? Would he have to accept her into their world just so that he didn't lose that closeness with his brother? What if she came to one day marry Shunkaku? Could he live in the same house as they did and bear to see his brother drift away from him?

Or, the most frightening of all, would he be left behind? Cut out of his brother's life and replaced by this girl?

No, no. Theirs was a bond that ran deeper than love, deeper than any other person could possibly imagine unless they had felt it. They would still be close, he would just have to get used to the idea that his brother had someone else to turn to as well. Not instead of, but also.

The miles passed under the horse's hooves, Koutoku decided to put a stop to the circling thoughts that were attempting to drag him down. He lifted his flute from his shirt once more and played a tune that would calm them both and possibly the rest of their road weary group.

Yui had been watching the sky for most of the day. She wondered if the sky looked the same in Tokyo as it did here. Some of the puffy white clouds reminded her of food. One looked like a bucket of chicken another like an ice cream sundae. A small smile played on her lips as she remembered a few months back at Miaka's house when her friend got a belly-ache for eating too much ice cream. Yui had gone over to help Miaka study for test and used ice cream as her example. The moment her back was turned Miaka ate all the ice cream. Her friend was a sight to see with chocolate and vanilla all over her mouth and whipped cream on her nose as she licked syrup from the spoon. Not much studying got done after that as Keisuke had come home to get some of the delicious dessert himself only to find his sister had beaten him to the punch.

Sergeant Zhi noted a smile appeared on Yui. Lord Nakago had given him strict orders to keep the girl and the twins happy. It had not escaped his notice that the boy, Shunkaku, was unhappy with the soldiers. Yet his brother Koutoku seemed more relaxed, and he had been the one the Shogun was worried about.

Fu went scouting ahead again to see what lay further down the road. So far they had been walking in grassland, passing small rice paddies, farms, or open land. Fu returned and pulled his horse beside Zhi to talk to his commander more privately.

"Sir," he said seriously. Zhi raised an eyebrow. Fu was the most relaxed of the group and the tone of his voice indicated something important. "We are approaching a heavily wooded area that will require us to ride in single file."

Yui pulled her attention away from the clouds to hear the discussion.

Zhi knew what Fu was not saying out loud. The path was narrow and wooded which would make them more prone to a bandit attack.

"Is it the only path to the city of Qin?" he asked his trusted scout.

"No, we could go around, but that would delay us further," he said. Both men saw Yui tense at more delay.

"We will stick with this path for the time being," Zhi stated.

"Aye sir," Fu saluted then joined Lawan at front of the procession to tell him the news.

It would be some time before they reached the opening of the woods, but Yui knew they were getting closer as the trees lining the side of the road were getting thicker. Zhi had to reposition the group before they proceeded further in case of an attack.

Lawan was in front, his bow ready with an arrow as he watched the underbrush for anything out of the ordinary. Zhi and Yui followed him. Yui was now holding onto the saddle with nervous anticipation and Zhi had taken out his long sword. The twins were next with Fu following behind them.

Shui came after, followed by the pack horse. He had a shield strapped to his arm so he could carry his short sword in one hand. His other hand held tightly onto both his horse's reigns and those of the pack horse.

Tashi was last in line, holding firmly onto a long spear-like thing. He was too far back for Yui to discern, but she knew it was big and metallic by the way it gleamed in the sunlight.

After everyone was in position they entered the woods. Yui prayed for nothing eventful to happen at all.

The soldiers' anxiety washed over the group like a ripple in a pond. Shunkaku fingered the rough surface of the ryuuseisui he kept at his belt. He'd taken his head from his brother's back and was scanning the treetops carefully. His muscles were contracted, ready to launch him into action the second a twig snapped or an arrow flew. If anything happened, he'd be first in line to protect Yui-san - he'd make sure of it.

Koutoku felt the air still around him, sensed the tension in his brother's body, and gripped his flute tight. He hated to use his music for battle, but it was the most he could do. He'd been getting their party ready in case something like this were to happen, playing soothing tunes so that they could become accustomed to and absorb some of his life force. He'd be able to block the music from harming them, but that could not be said for whomever decided to attack... assuming they _were_ attacked.

Cloaked in the darkness of the branches of a leafy tree, Ryuu watched the party as they made their way into the dense forest. He had been given strict orders to test the limits of devotion to their miko. Should they fail and he was able to take her... it would be better for them that they would die during the attack. Nakago wasn't the most forgiving of masters.

Hopping down from his leafy hiding place, he smirked as he landed in front of the lead horse. "Going somewhere?" He shot out a hand, a ball of energy in his palm, and shot down the man in the lead before he even had a chance to draw his sword.

The stranger had taken Lawan by surprise and he was in the middle of controlling his startled horse when the blast went off. Lawan was thrown from his horse into the brush and out of sight. His horse collapsed on the ground.

Zhi brought his horse to a sudden stop and called out to his men. Fu quickly maneuvered his own horse past the twins at the same time Shui abandoned the pack horse. The men had been highly trained to fight in tight spots like this.

Tashi moved into position to throw his spear at the assailant. He saw Zhi motion for everyone to duck and bring their shields up for protection. All was in done in seconds and Tashi threw his spear over the heads of his companions directly at the enemy, followed by bringing up his shield for protection from any further danger.

Yui hadn't excepted such a blatant attack. Her breath escaped her as she watched in horror when the stranger attacked Lawan. She took a deep breath in and let out a terrified shriek.

All she wanted was to find her friends, go home, and get the highest score on her high school exams. Lawan was hurt or, worse yet, dead. The same could happen to the twins. Just thinking about them getting hurt left an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach. If that happened it would be all her fault.

She prayed for some miracle to come and save them all.

Ryuu's lips curled into a cross between a snarl and a smirk as he deftly dodged the spear hurled his way. He jumped off the branch he'd been crouched on and caught it behind both his knees, simultaneously firing shots of energy toward the soldiers. At this rate, he wouldn't even need the backup he had lurking in the shadows.

Good to his promise, Suboshi was on his feet and into the woods as soon as the front soldier fell from his horse. He crashed into the brambles, scraping his exposed skin, but he kept low and peered up at their attacker. He was dressed entirely in black. Even his mouth was covered.

"Over here, idiot!" Shunkaku called as he stood up.

Ryuu's attention extended directly below him, at one of the boys the Shogun had warned him about. What a fool. He had perfect cover and he blew it, just so he could show off? This little brat wouldn't live to see the next five minutes. Ryuu opened his palms and aimed directly for Shun's face.

But before he could get off a charge, his eyes widened in disbelief. His jaw went slack, and his knees buckled. He slipped from the tree and tumbled to the ground. Like a satisfied viper, the ryuuseisui spun maliciously within his back and then rose from its prey, spraying blood upon the trees.

"Ha, what a weakling!"

Shunkaku wiped just under his nose and laughed, oblivious to the shuriken fwipping through the air behind him, thirsting for his blood.

A flash of silver caught his attention and Koutoku swiftly brought his flute to his lips; a fast paced tune springing from the flute that caused the shuriken to vibrate and change direction, sinking into the tree just beside Shun-chan's head.

Koutoku narrowed his eyes, looking around for the one who had threatened his brother's life. Two black cloaked shapes near a small clump of trees caught his gaze and he directed his ki-charged music towards them. They would pay with their lives for attempting to hurt his brother!

Agon and Sev clutched at their heads, the music causing their ears to bleed and their brains to throb in their heads. They cried out in unison then fell silent as the tune came to its end.

Satisfied they were safe now, Koutoku leapt from his horse and ran for his brother, catching him up in a tight hug. "Don't ever do something like that again! You were almost killed!"

Yui breathed a sigh of relief. In a shaky voice she asked, "Is everyone all right?"

Shunkaku's eyes were still wide from the realization that a couple of shuriken had almost made a beeline for his heart, and there was the real possibility that he could've been killed. Not necessarily for the first or last time, he owed his life to his brother, but when he felt his arms around him, he felt himself start to boil.

He whapped Koutoku's arms off of his shoulders.

"I was fine! I could've handled it myself!" he shouted, then before he could stop himself, "Why do you always have to get in the way?"

Once it registered that he'd said that aloud, his eyes widened in horror. But dammit, he couldn't take it back now. Aniki had made him look stupid and weak in front of Yui-san and the soldiers. After he'd taken care of that assassin by himself too...

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, then pushed past his brother and stalked back out onto the pathway. He'd never been good about cooling himself down right away. It would take some time before he'd be able to talk to anyone without biting their heads off, and even more time before he'd be able to give the apology that was already forming in his head.

Silently Kutouku returned to his horse and grabbed his bags, he motioned to Tashi, asking for a ride. He climbed up onto the back of the horse as Tashi gave his agreement, then looked over at Shun. "Shun-chan, I'm sorry for treating you as though you could not handle the situation. You are all the family I have left, but that does not give me right to get in your way."

Turning his attention to Tashi's back, he nudged the horse and hoped that his brother would forgive him for being over protective.

Tashi had the grace to keep quiet and allow his horse to begin down the trail again. "We should keep moving. You are looking for your friend, isn't that right, Lady Yui?" Tashi asked, glancing over his shoulder at the foreign girl that rode with Sergeant Zhi. "Times are uncertain, perhaps we should get out of this forest as fast as possible. We don't want any more… visitors."

Shunkaku sighed at his brother's words.

"You're ruining my angry exit, aniki," he said quietly.

A reluctant smile spread across his face. Oh, make no mistake, he was still irritated, but aniki could be so dramatic sometimes. (Hypocrite, isn't he?)

He jumped up onto the horse that was freed when Koutoku chose to ride with Tashi. They were down one horse now, and he had to take Lawan with him too. The soldier seemed all right. A little shaken, but not injured badly. Shunkaku was asked to keep an eye on him just in case.

When the trail widened, he maneuvered his horse to walk alongside the Sergeant's.

"What's your friend like, Yui-san?"

Yui thanked this country's god that they had lost no one. Lawan had gained some injuries, but he had been patched up by Shui. The path had finally opened up so they no longer had to ride single file. Shui rode behind them, holding onto the pack horse's reigns.

Fu, of course, was riding ahead of them, searching out any more trouble. He had retrieved Lawan's bow and Lawan was trying to fix the damage to his favorite weapon.

Lawan and Shunkaku were riding on her right, while Tashi and Kutouku rode on the left. Zhi stayed quiet as everyone tried to talk to her at once. She was glad for the distraction.

She answered Tashi's question first. "Actually I'm looking for three friends. The twins saw Miaka in the capital, but we weren't able to find her. She is the only one I know who came here with me. Kutouku said she had been talking with a bandit. I just hope she is all right.

"My other two friends are Miaka's older brother Keisuke and his friend Tetsuya." A small smile appeared on her lips when she said Tetsuya's name.

"Miaka is my best friend," she stated simply. "She loves food and she is always hungry. She is very outgoing and speaks her mind. When she sets her mind to something you can't stop her. I think that's why Keisuke worries about her all the time. He is the best older brother I've known. He would do anything to keep her out of trouble."

Yui sighed a little now that she thought of them. Being an only child had been hard. Her mother was always pushing Yui to be the best in school. Although her mother never came right out and said it, it had been hinted at that she thought Miaka might ruin her daughter's chances of going to the best school in Japan.

"If I had an older brother," she said quietly, "I'd want him to be like Keisuke." She let a moment pass before she started talking again.

"Keisuke's best friend happens to be Tetsuya. They go to college together and I have feeling they have the same kind of friendship that Miaka and I do."

She went on to describe what both boys looked like and pointed out that Sergeant Zhi had similar facial features to Tetsuya.

Tashi nodded as she spoke, taking the pertinent information as to what these three people looked like in and filed it away in his head. He'd make sure to scan the crowds and any passing faces in an effort to find Yui-sama's friends. She seemed to have an affection for the 'Tet-su-ya' she had mentioned. Tashi had never seen her smile like that before.

Kutouku listened intently. The faster they could find these friends of hers, the faster he could get away from that girl. She was a sweet girl, pretty face, even temperament, but that something that had made him uneasy from the moment he'd seen her was still there. Something about this girl... and Shunkaku seemed to just ignore it. He smiled slightly, remembering his brother's jittery and excited face when they had first started out on this trip. He shook his head. Shun-chan was falling for that girl. He could see it every time his brother was in her presence or spoke to her.

He would keep his mouth shut about it for now.

Shunkaku glanced back at his brother when Yui extolled the virtues of the man named 'Keisuke'. He had a hard time believing any older brother could be better than his aniki, but that was probably just because Yui-san hadn't known him for very long yet.

Whether he chose to ignore Yui's seeming fixation on 'Tetsuya' or simply didn't pick up on it, he spoke as excitedly as he ever had before.

"Don't worry Yui-san. If--"

"If she was taken by a bandit, then our best bet is to check out Mt. Kahou. It's the closest known bandit hideout. We might be able to shake some information out of them, even if she isn't there," Lawan interjected.

Shunkaku elbowed him hard in the ribs, and he doubled over. The younger twin's bright smile attempted to cover up what he'd just done.

"If your friend is still with the red-headed bandit, then we'll be able to rescue her, Yui-san."

Hours later, the small group emerged from the woods. Making camp for the night, Shunkaku stretched his arms and legs. Lawan, holding his side, gave him a sour look. He merely grinned.

"How far is Mt. Kahou?" Shunkaku asked no one in particular as he set up his bedroll.

"We should reach the summit by noon tomorrow," Sergeant Zhi responded.

Warm inside his sleeping bag, Shunkaku studied the stars. It felt good to be out here, with aniki and Yui-san, getting ready to take on a bunch of bandits. He thought it would be impossible to sleep - that his body just wouldn't calm down, but somehow, as soon as he closed his eyes, he was out.


	25. Chapter 24

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Eiyou Palace, Morning

Miaka awoke early in the morning to the sound of people shuffling outside the room. She yawned, stretched, and dragged herself out of bed. The strange dream from the night before hadn't returned, which brought her a bit of relief. She'd held her pillow tightly all night, longing for a little closeness in Hotohori's giant bed. There was a tapping at the door. She tip toed over and slid it open. A loud woman barged into the room.

"Well hello there and good morning! The Emperor has a very important guest coming today. The summoning is not to be talked about, got it?" Miaka nodded without speaking a word. She was glad that she'd asked Tasuki to take her into town after all, not wanting to cause Hotohori any trouble. The woman had enough energy for both of them. She put down a dress on the bed and turned back. "I've brought you some local clothing. Take the time to get yourself ready and I'll help you to look more like a local girl." She shoved Miaka behind the screen so she could dress.

"Uhm, I have a dress I got before..." She thought back to the pretty dress that Tasuki had bought her so long ago, wanting to wear it.

"No, no, the Emperor wouldn't have it. You'll wear something fitting for a noble lady."

"But I was planning on going into town today. Won't that be too fancy?"

The woman sighed dramatically and separated the layers. "You see? You can make it suitable for town. Now stop arguing with me and get dressed."

The dress the woman had brought her, if you could call it that, was truly beautiful. It wasn't overly elaborate, but made her look like she belonged in the Palace. The bottom of the robe was white, fading into the beautiful pink-red of the top and sleeves. Wrapped around her middle was a layer of fabric with a phoenix and cloud pattern. The collar and trimmings were all gold. It looked like something she'd seen paintings of women in ancient China wearing. She came out from behind the screen and the loud woman clicked at her.

"Well you look the part of a Princess dear, if we can just do something about that hair..." She seated Miaka on the bed and combed her hair, using an assortment of beautiful ornaments to hold it up and in place as it should be. She rubbed a little bit of paint on her lips (just a hint! Keisuke would kill her otherwise) and spun around, holding onto the long sleeves. The woman shoved a fan into her hands and pushed her out the bedroom door gently. "Go, go! Have fun!" She shut the door and began cleaning the room.

As Miaka made her way down the hall towards Tasuki and Kouji's room she noticed the men of the palace staring at her. She blushed, trying to walk faster, hiding her face behind the fan. Her usual look clearly wasn't as appealing to them as this one! She enjoyed the attention until she tripped on the edge of the dress and fell down. Recovering quickly and red from embarrassment, she popped back up and hurried onwards. She finally reached the bandit's bedroom door and leaned her ear against it, listening for any sound of their wakefulness.

Tasuki had tossed and turned for the last few hours before dawn, and presently he was standing in front of the wardrobe tossing garments left and right. He was nervous and indecisive; two things that never boded well for anyone in his vicinity.

Growling, he tossed aside another shirt and stalked over to Kouji's bedside. "Yo, Kouji, wake up man," he nudged Kouji's shoulder, kneeling beside him on the bed. "Wake the hell up man, I need yer help!"

He glanced back at the wardrobe and scrubbed a hand over his face, turning back to Kouji, he renewed his efforts to wake him.

Kouji growled in his sleep as something kept prodding him in the shoulder. Turning over and mumbling something incoherent, he tried to continue to sleep until whatever was nudging him started to prod him again.

Kouji groaned. Genrou stood with a mess of clothing behind him, strewn haphazardly around. "What th' hell? What's going on?"

Tasuki gripped Kouji's shoulders. "Ya gotta help me man! I dunno what th' hell I'm doin'! I dunno if'n I should wear my usual clothes or if'n I should wear somethin' nice." He got back up and stomped back to the wardrobe.

"You see all 'a this shit? It's all nice stuff, but I can't decide what the hell to wear! If'n I wear this green thing, I'd look dumb. If'n I wear th' blue thing, I'd look like a red-haired Tama. If'n I wear this gold thing, I'll be a fucking weird lookin candelabra! What th' fuck does a guy wear on a fuckin' date, Kouji?"

Kouji scratched his head. "Date?" He said sleepily, as it slowly registered. "Ya mean ya actually got a date?" Sitting up warily he glanced at the clothing strewn about. "Wear the green one," he said slowly, "Yer dumbness and its dumbness will cancel each other out."

Tasuki growled and stalked back to the bed, thwapping Kouji on the head with his fist. "Yeah, fuck you too, aho! I ain't dumb, just nervous! What th' hell do ya do on a fuckin' date anyway? I mean, I'm takin' her around town, but I can't take her to armors and bars! I dunno shit about women!" He clenched his fists in his hair, tugging at it in agitation.

"Okay, so if'n I wear th' green thing I won't look too stupid? What about that red thing over there? Maybe if'n I wear somethin' like.... FUCK! I dunno! Fuckin' help me man!"

Kouji groaned as he was hit, rubbing his head gently. "Take her to everywhere else besides th' bars, baka!" It amused him slightly, seeing Genrou getting so worked up over a girl.

Eyeing the clothes, he crouched down, and scooped up the green outfit and the gold belt. "Wear these," he said softly, scratching his head. "It'll look good on ya."

Tasuki looked up at Kouji, relief present in his eyes. "Thanks." He grabbed Kouji and gave him a quick hug before stripping out of the pants he'd worn the night before.

Jerking his new set of clothes on, he eyed Kouji. "Ya know, I think this is my first date. I know better than to take her to bars and to the smithy's but, where do girls like to go? My sisters used to always drag me to dress shops and ribbon vendors and shit like that. I don't think Mi-chan's gonna want to go to those kinds of places, so where do I take her Kouji?"

Kouji frowned for a brief second. "Mi-chan? Ya got a date with Miaka?" Staggering back towards the bed and trying to make it look like it didn't bother him, he shrugged. "Take her to get food. Ya know she has th' biggest appetite." He forced a smile. "Ask her what she wants to do. If worse comes to worse, take her to look at clothing an' shit."

Tasuki stood upright and moved to Kouji's side. "Ya sure ya don't mind me an' Mi-chan datin'? If'n ya still feel anything for her, tell me an' I'll back off. Ya know that, don't ya? Yer my best friend, damn near my brother. If'n ya tell me you love her I ain't goin' near her again. I swear on my fuckin' life."

He turned Kouji to look him in the eye. "Tell me man, please. Tell me if'n ya love her."

Kouji glanced at him, blinking slowly. Of course he loved her, but he wouldn't dare say anything to upset his friend. "No," he lied, grabbing the blanket. "I don't love 'er, I was jus' drunk an' horny when I said that."

Tasuki looked hard at Kouji, trying to see past the obviously fake smile. "Kouji, I'm tellin' ya man; if you say th' word it's over with. I'll just be friends with her. Yer more important than any fuckin' girl. You been there when nobody else was. Just make sure ya tell me th' truth. If ya hold back and I fall for her... it'll be too late. You know how I am man. Ya know once I fall in love, it's for always... Certain people aside a'course," he winked to lighten the mood.

Kouji chuckled, still smiling. "Don't worry, Genrou!" he patted his friend on the back.

***

Tamahome had woken up early despite his late night. He had wandered out to the kitchen and picked up some breakfast to take up to his room for the kids. He was quite pleased with himself for being able to get out of bed without waking either of them up as he did it. Tamahome had laid out the various food items like a little magical buffet. He was grinning like crazy. When they woke up it would be like a holiday. He quietly pulled the door shut, waiting till he heard their shouts of joy.

He couldn't help the huge smile he was wearing. The idea of making them happy made his heart want to burst. Tamahome did a little happy jig of anticipation then stopped midway, remembering he was in a palace. He glanced down the hallway to see if anyone had seen his strange happy dance.

Tamahome caught sight of Miaka and his cheeks immediately flared up in embarrassment. Then he realized she was not paying attention to anything other than the door that she was intently leaning on.

He walked up to where she stood, looked at the door quizzically, and put his own ear against the wood. He didn't even have to be listening hard, he could hear practically every word shouted from inside.

Amazed that Miaka hadn't acknowledged anyone was standing next to her, he spoke up.

"Anything interesting?"

She leaned against the door, listening intently to Tasuki's frantic pull for clothing. She was pleased that Kouji gave him the go ahead for their date, but something about him seemed off.

She didn't notice when Tamahome snuck up beside her.

"Gah!"

Tamahome's voice startled her and she fell over. After she managed to get back up she leaned her back against the door, turning to face him. "Not really... Gen-chan is just being his usual self." She smiled. She didn't know Tamahome well yet, but she wanted to learn more about him. He seemed like a very nice guy.

"I probably shouldn't be listening in, but the way he and Kouji argue is just so funny! They're like brothers, I suppose." She crouched down, pressing her ear back against the door.

Tamahome leaned against the door and smiled down at her. He shook his head. He wasn't going to point out how silly she looked, crouching with her ear pressed up against the door.

Tasuki was just about to ask Kouji what he meant when he heard a soft thump at the door. Frowning, he got up and stalked to the door, ready to yell at the maids who had probably come back to 'help him dress'.

He jerked open the door and opened his mouth to yell when a very soft, sweet smelling Miaka fell into him followed by Tamahome. He pitched backward with a cry of surprise, struggling to keep both of them from hitting the floor.

"What th' hell?" he asked, coining Kouji's phrase from earlier. "Err, it's nice of ya both t'drop in on me but this is pushin' it a bit, ain't it?" he smirked down at them and laughed.

Tamahome thought about what Miaka had said. He hadn't seen much of the two interacting, but he supposed that Tasuki brought that out in more than a few people he got close to.

"Well, I'll let you get..." !! !

He felt air where the door used to be and a split second later, he was lying in a tangled heap on Miaka on Tasuki. Tamahome scrambled to his feet, the embarrassment going to his cheeks. He offered a hand out to Miaka.

"We weren't, well... It's not..." He tripped over his words, caught in an act he wasn't even really part of.

Miaka took his hand and let him pull her up into his arms. She got a bit red herself, pushing away once she was able to stand.

"Err... yeah, we were just..." There was really no good way to explain it. "I just came to see if you were ready."

Despite it all, he looked great. A little more fancy than usual, too. Her cheeks flushed red again and she fanned herself. Was it hot in here or something? She tried to ignore the urge to throw herself into his arms and kiss his cheek.

Tamahome pulled Miaka up, noticing just how close they were around the same time she pushed herself away from him. He could feel his blush darkening. He tried to become interested in the door jam, but it failed him.

Kouji felt the alcohol induced headache flare up as he looked at Miaka; her dress was stunning. Rubbing his head and offering a hand to Genrou, Kouji tried his best to grin.

Tasuki took Kouji's hand and pulled himself to his feet. His grin fell as he got a good look at Miaka and he whirled to glare at Kouji. "Damnit! Why'd ya dress me like a baka?! Lookit her!" he said, pointing over his shoulder, "Ya think I wanna get laughed at durrn' our... err... outing? I can't go in public like this!"

He stalked back to the wardrobe, tearing his tunic and shirt off as he went to find another set of clothes. Three more sets of garments came flying out of the wardrobe before he realized he'd left everyone standing there watching him act like an idiot.

He winced and looked over his shoulder, "Err, uh, sorry?" he blushed and pulled the green tunic back on over a light tan colored shirt.

Miaka watched, stunned, as Tasuki threw off his shirt and began rummaging for more clothing. "I think you look great," she grinned.

Tasuki had started ranting about clothes and he proceeded to fling them off as he looked for new ones. It was only then that Tamahome glanced back down at Miaka. She looked stunning. Bringing his gaze back up to Tasuki, he saw that the bandit was all dressed up too. Hell they BOTH looked fantastic.

Tamahome narrowed his eyes, trying to ignore the intense blush that must have spread across his entire face by now, and looked at both of them in turn.

"Where are you two planning on going dressed up like that?"

"I don't know exactly but I want to see all of Eiyou! Tasuki is going to take me into town today." She was trying to hide her excitement but was doing a poor job of it. She'd overheard him telling Kouji it was a date, which meant he probably did like her after all.

Dropping into her fantasy world she began to imagine him taking her on the date... buying her all sorts of tasty treats, drowning her in gifts...

_'Miaka... there's something I need to tell you...'___

_'Yes Tasuki?'___

_'I love you! I'm your slave, do with me what you will.'_

A lecherous grin crept across her lips. She snapped out of the dream and looked at the sea of dumbfounded faces around her.

"Uhm... so are you ready to go?"

Stuck between a frantic Genrou, a blushing Tamahome, and a rather perverted grin on Miaka, Kouji shrugged his shoulders in defeat. He grabbed one of the white shirts that Genrou had thrown out of the dresser and pulled it on. He opted for no headband-sama and stayed with the brown pants Nuriko had fitted him in the previous night. He smiled at his friend. "No matter what ya wear, yer still a baka."

Kouji leaned down to whisper in Miaka's ear. "Don't let him drag ya around. Make him go where ya wanna go, ne?"

A blush coloring his cheeks, Tasuki kept his eyes on the ground. He attempted to stutter out where they were going, but Miaka was much more in control of herself and answered for him.

He raised a grin of thanks but it quickly dropped when the almost hungry smirk crossed Miaka's lips. He gulped.

That couldn't be a good sign.

Thankful for Kouji's smartass mouth, Tasuki smacked Kouji on the shoulder. "Yer just jealous because I'm more attractive than you, aho." He smirked and glanced at Miaka and Tamahome.

Tasuki shifted and moved to Miaka's side, putting an arm over her shoulders. "Yeah, Mi-chan, let's go."

Tamahome threw a look at Tasuki.

_A date, huh?_

He stood awkwardly in the room, suddenly feeling like the odd man out. When Tasuki announced their departure, he snapped out of it.

"Have fun. I um, have a few things to attend to." He spun on his heels and ran back to his own spying mission.

Tamahome cracked open the door and saw his two siblings luckily were still fast asleep. He clicked the door closed again, breathing a sigh of relief and sat cross legged as guard in front of it. If they didn't wake up soon, the food was going to get cold. He coughed loudly and listened for sound from inside.

Soon enough, he heard rustling. A wide grin busted open on his lips and he cracked the door to watch. Yuiren had the perfect reaction. She gasped and smiled widely clapping her hands and pulling her brother out of the bed. He sleepily rubbed his eyes, but then saw the buffet and his eyes grew wide. Tamahome closed the door as quietly as he could and snickered to himself, still sitting guard in front of his room.

Tasuki put his arm around Miaka and Tamahome had suddenly taken off. Maybe they'd made him uncomfortable? It was too late to worry about that now, though. Miaka started to walk but tripped on her dress again.

"Would you mind if I lean on you? I haven't gotten the hang on these clothes yet." She looped her arm through Tasuki's and leaned against him a little as they walked.

"Bye bye Kouji-kun!" she turned and waved as they made their way to the courtyard. It was just a short trip through the palace halls, then outside and they'd be in town.

She looked up at Tasuki. He looked wonderful. She wanted to tell him all the things she'd realized she was feeling but it just wasn't the right time. He was excited about the date, she didn't want to ruin it by saying something too bold.

They reached the door Tamahome sat in front of as they walked. She grinned at him and waved a little. "Bye Tamahome!"

Tamahome snapped his glance up to the oddly regal looking couple walking past him. Miaka waved and said 'bye' and Tasuki followed suit with a small wave and an unsure smile.

Tamahome gave a weak smile back to them both and watched them walk off, arm in arm. He didn't understand why a strange heavy feeling settled on his chest. He had his own happiness inside this door and with Ji, but it settled none the less.

Kouji watched as the two left, his own mind lost in deep thought.

_So Genrou really did have the nerve to go after Miaka, ne?_

Even though he'd said it was okay, some part of him had expected his friend to know what he really thought and cancel the date, even if that was unreasonable. Fuming, he pulled his boots on, trying to ignore the empty void within his chest.

Maybe Genrou was doing this because he felt bad for Mi-chan? There was only one way to know for certain. Kouji closed the bedroom door behind him, heading towards the main entrance.

***

Hotohori stirred in bed, opening his golden eyes at last to greet the day. He dressed in some of his finest attire, his hair tied up and contained as it ought to be. He spent a long time at the mirror, ensuring his appearance was perfect in every way.

Would Miaka accept the proposal? He wasn't sure, but he wouldn't pressure her any further. Until she told him yes or no, he wouldn't be improper. He owed her a more private apology, but that would have to wait. Their visitor was coming... He didn't know how long he'd be staying but the first stage of negotiations would determine if the summoning would be needed tomorrow.

Hotohori wandered out into the hall in time to notice what looked like Miaka and Tasuki leaving the grounds. Part of him was glad to see the bandit leave due to the sensitive nature of the meetings, but to see him with Miaka was painful. Her happiness was what mattered and if she found it in her heart to seek it with him, he would make her happy forever.

He wandered about the halls a bit aimless, trying to clear his mind before the morning meetings and before the arrival of their guest. He would have to ensure Nuriko attended to showing their guest around. A fabulous feast would be prepared for the evening meal and everyone would be invited, provided the bandits could watch their tongues.

He looked out into the courtyard and sighed heavily. The weight of an empire rested on his shoulders. This had to go well.

Nuriko had just finished dressing in clothing of a more masculine flavor when he saw Hotohori pass his bedroom window, obviously deep in thought. Any thoughts of the night before were quickly fading as he tore to the door, tossing it open and nearly tearing it off the hinges. Running over to the Emperor, Nuriko stopped him from walking any farther as he bowed in front of Hotohori with a big grin.

"Hotohori-sama!" Nuriko smiled as he straightened, toying with his sleeves. "You look so glum! What could possibly be troubling you?"

"Ahhh... Nuriko."

He looked back out across the courtyard, gazing in the direction Miaka had gone.

"Just concerned about the meeting with Kutou. I can't stress to you enough how well it must go. It means the security of our country. I don't want to have to ask Miaka to use a wish for our benefit."

He looked Nuriko over, surprised by the choice of clothing.

"You look good in men's clothing. I apologize if I was rude last night."

"Oh no, Hotohori-sama! Not rude at all." Nuriko looked towards the gates. Barely over the palace walls you could see the banners flapping carelessly in the breeze. The festivities were already in full swing. Smiling, he leaned against a column, crossing his arms over his chest gently.

"The meeting will go well, your Highness," he said carefully to the Emperor. "I've heard from typical palace gossip its the Kutou Shogun, Nakago, right? He's probably very reserved, or so I'd assume. Speaking of which," he winked, giggling, "Do you want the bandits to attend dinner this evening? I mean- I heard from the kitchen staff Kouji was drinking very heavily last night and you never know how they'll be with all the festivities. I wouldn't want word of who Miaka really is to come out."

Hotohori thought over Nuriko's words. The bandits were... unpredictable at the best of times. Still, he had wanted Miaka at his side during the banquet. If he were to exclude anyone she may be hurt.

"I have considered sending the bandits into town, with a bar tab they can charge to the palace, of course. It may keep them occupied enough. Their dedication to Miaka is unwavering. They may not leave her alone here."

"Hotohori-sama!" Chichiri called as he hurried up to his side. The morning sunlight that filtered through the window was peaceful. Unfortunately, he had no time to enjoy it.

"Good morning, Hotohori-sama," Chichiri turned to the one speaking with him, "Good morning, Nuriko, no da. I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's important I discuss Ou-kun with you, no da," he paused out of politeness.

"Good morning, Chichiri-san."

The urgency in the monk's voice was unmistakable.

"Of course. I've a little time before my meetings take place. What seems to be the trouble with our young friend?"

Chichiri turned his attention out toward the courtyard. There was much weighing on his mind, but all that Hotohori really needed to know was what transpired last night.

"I ran a test on him to determine whether he is Chiriko, no da. He has the chi of a celestial warrior. I followed the source of his chi to a centralized point on his left foot, but there was no symbol, no da."

He shook his head.

"I don't understand it, no da. I was so sure, no da. There should've been no reason why..." he sighed, "I'm still certain that Ou-kun is Suzaku seishi Chiriko, no da. No others have chi like ours, no da. But I'm not sure how we're going to locate Chiriko otherwise, no da. I could spare a trip to Taiitsu-kun. But I think it'd be too dangerous for all of us to go out searching for him again, na no da."

He looked up at the Emperor. Without the seventh they could not summon Suzaku, Miaka-sama could not go home, and Konan wouldn't have their god's protection.

"Ou is indeed Chiriko. I saw his mark when he passed out before. I suppose he simply needs to learn it himself."

He pondered how it could be done. The boy would need to learn, quickly, that he had a great destiny. He was meant to exist for one person...

"Miaka! She's the key in all this. Strong feelings regarding our Miko tends to make the constellations appear. When Miaka is in danger, we know because of this," he gestured to the now glowing mark on his neck, "But it isn't just trouble that brings it forward. Feelings of love or friendship do it as well. There's a bond we share with her that cannot be mistaken.

"Ou spent some time with her when she was returned to us and sent to her bed. That should have been more than enough time. Speak with him about Miaka and I'm sure the symbol will appear for you."

With a laugh the Emperor flipped his hair over his shoulder. "If that fails you could always take him to see Taiitsu-kun for some speed-training. All 7 seishi are needed for the summoning and the boy needs to believe in his power, otherwise I'm certain it will fail."

Nuriko nodded as they talked, listening intently as they spoke of the boy, Ou, not knowing he was a seishi. _How could that be possible_, he wondered, sighing as he watched the Emperor flip his hair. Hotohori-sama was indeed perfect.

Burying his arms within his sleeves, Nuriko leaned against the column, listening. Maybe he could speak with the boy or at least help the monk, Chichiri, with showing the boy how to be a proper seishi. The gossip reeked with news of war and troubles that Miaka, the Suzaku no Miko would be able to help cure. If this imprudent, little boy was the barrier against summoning, Nuriko would want more than anything to crush it; to ease His Highness's suffering and worry.

Yes, Nuriko would be there for Hotohori-sama, more than anything or anyone. Miaka was too wrapped up in the bandits to know that Hotohori was the perfect man to marry and live with. Maybe with the summoning, Miaka could wish for... nah.

"Your Highness," he said, bowing with ease, "If you would like, I could speak to the boy and give him some information about being a seishi."

A smile crossed his face as he tried not to giggle. Yes, in Nuriko's imagination, he could see himself giving the young boy a lesson he'd never forget.

"There's no need to start schooling the boy on what it means to be a Seishi yet. He needs to first realize he is one. Soon, for that matter."

Chichiri had his doubts. Just speaking of Miaka would cause Chiriko's symbol to flare? He eyed the Emperor dubiously. Did Hotohori-sama really experience that whenever he thought about her? He sweat dropped. Still, there was a chance that being in her presence might do the trick.

"I think it might be a good idea for him to spend some time with Miaka-sama, no da. I'll go find her, no da. Do you know where she is, Hotohori-sama?"

In the distance, horns announced the arrival of the emissary from Kutou. He was here already? They must have traveled non-stop to arrive so early in the day. He needed to get the morning meetings over with as quickly as possible so that his guest wouldn't feel put out.

Mention of Miaka's name made him sigh a little.

"Miaka-sama is out enjoying the festival with Tasuki's protection, I do believe." As much as he didn't want anything to happen between Miaka and any other man, he knew that he could never control her heart. "I'm sure she'll be returning in not too long. She and the others should be aware to watch their tongues in the presence of our visitor. We must show him that Konan is strong and won't be easily defeated. Nuriko, would you be so kind as to show our visitor around the palace while I conduct my meetings? I can trust that he won't end up anywhere he shouldn't be while in your care."

He nodded and then, with a last look towards the direction Miaka went, turned about and headed for the conference hall to discuss the progression of the meeting.

***

Tamahome stood up and burst in his room, trying to forget the strange feeling he had had moments before. Yuiren's ear to ear smile melted any uneasy he had, it always did. She came running up to him and he scooped her up in his arms. She flung her own around his neck and snuggled into his chest.

"Onii-chan! The fairies came again, even here." She giggled in his ear.

He smiled and winked to Chuei who shook his head and mouthed a 'thank you' to his older brother. Yuiren had always believed that surprises left in their house were left by fairies. He had tried to correct her a few times when they were younger, but his father had put an end to it, saying that growing up poor was a heavy burden on a little girl and it gave her something glittering to hold on to. Since then he had purposefully left little gifts around the house when he could and denied his part in leaving them.

Now he smiled and put her down, "You better eat what they left you. It's going to get cold, sleepy head."

She nodded and ran to the table, picking up a pastry and happily nibbling on it. Chuei helped put healthier things on her plate and they sat down to eat.

Tamahome leaned back and watched them, a proud smile lighting his face. That's when his attention was brought back to the door, which had been left open. He saw Kouji stride past. He gave the passing bandit a raised eyebrow, but didn't think more on it.

"Guess what, guess what Onii-chan!!" Yuiren interrupted his thoughts by bouncing onto his stomach. "Today Jai-li is going to teach us how to make Lanterns, for the festival."

Tamahome glance up, surprised. "Festival?"

"Mmhmm," she nodded enthusiastically, "We have to work extra hard to make all of them. She's letting Chuei and I make them with the other kids."

"So," he picked her up and straightened her on his lap, "You'll need my help?"

Yuiren shook her head. "She told us that it should be just children." She looked up to him and pouted, "But I wanted you with me."

He patted her head, his heart melting a little inside at her pout. "If she told you not to bring your over protective older brother, then I can't be there." He smiled at the truth. "Besides, you should meet some of the other kids here. How can you do that when you have an old man like me hanging around you?"

She laughed, "You're not old Onii-chan. Just not young anymore."

Tamahome sweat dropped. He was only 17.

"May I interrupt?" A pleasant sounding voice chimed from their door way.

There was a pretty older woman in rich robes at the door. Tamahome jumped to his feet and bowed. "May I help you?"

"Jai-li!" Yuiren jumped from the bed and hugged the woman's legs.

She chuckled merrily and patted her on the head, "I'm here to collect the little ones, they offered to help with today's preparations." She smiled and held out a hand to Chuei.

He looked up at Tamahome and waited for him to ok their outing. Tama smiled at him and nodded.

"The young man was eager to help out. You should be proud of your son."

Tamahome stopped before he corrected her. "I am." He gave the snickering Yuiren a stern look. "You be good for Jai-Li, ok?"

She nodded and they were off.

Tamahome sat in his room for a little while by himself. He didn't know what to do now that his siblings were off doing their own thing. He sighed and got up, stretching his back and stepping over to the dresser. There were a few embroidered garments, nice, expensive looking, tunics and pants that he pulled out. The festival sounded like a good idea, so he closed the door and changed his clothes. If everyone else could get dressed up and run around then he could too. He took one last glance in the mirror, and smiled. He looked good, like he belonged in this palace. Then, he stepped out trying to find something interesting to do while his kids were away.

Storming down the hallway, Kouji looked around, expecting to find Nuriko. Instead all he found were servants and maids, obviously preparing for some sort of festivities. He kept to himself mostly, bored and wanting to pass the suffocating time he knew Miaka and Genrou were off.

_Something to drink would be nice_, he decided as he headed for the side gate to find something not as fancy as the palace booze. He thought for a moment to go pay a visit to the damned Emperor and demand why he had proposed to Miaka but decided against it as he nodded to the Guard, intent on getting some air to cool his nerves.

As he was let through, Kouji turned for the market district, ignoring the banners that seemed posted everywhere, a splash of crimson and azure. His clothing seemed fitting for him to blend in with the city folk - not extra fancy but not that befitting for a bandit either.

His stomach's rumbling made Kouji realize he had not eaten breakfast yet as he headed towards a eatery, intent on getting something to munch on. Checking his pockets, he grinned. He had been fortunate enough to carry some money with him and not make a mad dash out like Genrou had with Miaka. Even the thought of her name began to stir up a million emotions, each signifying more anger and deceit than the next.

***

Tasuki followed Miaka's lead, he was far too nervous about the coming 'date' to act normally. When they passed Tamahome in the hall he gave a half hearted wave and a self conscious smile.

They stepped out of the palace and into one of the gardens that had a small gate that would let them out into the city. He gulped and screwed down his courage; Miaka was just a girl. She wasn't insane like his sisters were, he wouldn't be stuck carrying around cartloads of junk she would never use. It was going to be just another day out in town...

And Nuriko was really a woman.

He kept his arm through Miaka's to make sure she didn't fall, but was decidedly unsteady himself. Sure, he wasn't going to fall down, but his knees were knocking together so hard he was surprised that his whole body wasn't shaking along with them.

He shook his head. No, he had to stop this. He had to get rid of this nervousness somehow.

Looking down at Miaka, he gulped and licked his lips. "Uh, are ya hungry?"

"Always!" she laughed. As they reached the town she noticed there were colored banners hanging and people everywhere.

"Excuse me, what's going on?" she asked the guard at the gate.

"Festival, miss. To honor the arrival of the emissary from Kutou."

"Oh! A festival!" She tugged on Tasuki's sleeve, excitedly, wanting to hurry down the stairs but not able to do so. "There should be lots of fun things for us to do."

Tasuki felt his hopes rise.

_A festival! Great, I won't have t'go lookin' for somethin' to keep her happy, it'll come to us! Good thing I kept a good portion of my money in my boot._

She looked around, trying to see if there was anything she could spot for them to do right off the bat. "Hmm fruit would be good for breakfast. Let's find some!"

She wondered what to say next. She wanted to ask him some more serious questions but wasn't sure what to say next. "You know Tamahome pretty well, don't you? He seems nice. I'd like to get to know him better. What kind of person is he?"

He looked at her slightly nervous, "Err, well he's a good guy I guess. Nice kids. Fights pretty good from what I hear. Just yer typical, everyday good guy. Ya would love Yuiren, I was gonna go by an' see 'em later on. I wanna get her an' Chibi Sou a toy since they didn't get to bring none from home." He shrugged and took her by the shoulders. "No more questions, let's go have fun."

She smiled as he guided her into town. He was much more sweet and sensitive than he'd let on. She kept an eye out for food, sniffing her way towards a vendor with steamed breakfast buns. She pointed, smiling. "Can we have these?"

Tasuki smirked, "Yeah, figured ya'd find food first. I swear yer a damned bloodhound when it comes t'food." he leaned down and tugged a money pouch out of his left boot and handed the vendor the money for six buns. He took one for himself and handed the rest to her.

She popped an entire bun into her mouth, chewing quickly. "Mmmm fannk yew!" She stopped, blushing. This wasn't how she ought to act on a date. She should be more lady like, more polite. Rather than swallowing it whole, she took smaller bites out of the next bun while looking around. "Wow, the city is so big. You could really get lost here."

Tasuki sweat dropped as he watched an entire bun vanish into her mouth, "Hnn." he replied to her thanks.

He was amused when she seemed to realize that she was being un-lady-like and ate the next one with more manners. "That's why it's called a city, ya baka. Does To-ki-yo not have big cities? Yer people all live in little farms er somethin?"

"No, it's a big city. Maybe bigger than Eiyou. But the streets make more sense!" She stuck out her tongue, childishly. "You'd probably like it there. Big buildings that go way up into the sky, all the sake you can drink..."

Tasuki laughed, "Th' sake I'd go for, I ain't big on cities. Too much of a chance t'get caught by guards. I am a wanted man, ya know."

She tugged him towards a crowd gathered around a man juggling. Peering between shoulders she hopped up and down, trying to get a better look.

When she started to hop up and down, peering between the men blocking her view, Tasuki smirked and lifted her up to sit on his shoulder. He kept one hand on her hip to balance her." Can ya see now?"

"Y-yes, thanks." She was very conscious of being on his shoulder, but she didn't mind too much. While she watched the juggler she thought about his words.

_A wanted man... that's right, Hotohori's given them a pass to be here and help. When everything is over, he'll go back to the Mountain for good._

She tried to imagine what always living in a mountain would be like as the juggler finished.

***

Tamahome was smack-dab in the middle of bustling crowds. The population seemed to triple in the last few hours. He was knocked around a bit before he found a spot to stand. Tamahome jumped up onto a barrel and scanned the booths. There were tons of them, more than he had ever seen in the small festivals his town used to hold. He frowned; he should be taking Yuiren and Chuei around to these booths. Tama leapt back down and made his way to one of the stages.

On the stage closest to him, there was a man juggling. He stopped and leaned against the wooden side of a booth. He should have asked Ji to come along on his outing. This was kind of pointless without someone here to share it with.

He pushed himself off of his resting place and turned to go back to the palace when he spotted the happy couple watching the same show. How did he miss them before? Miaka stood out in the crowd even when she wasn't balanced on Tasuki's shoulders. He scowled. That idiot really had him worried for a while, but it was clear Tasuki hadn't meant what he so passionately expressed to him. He was dating Miaka and having a good time, from the looks of it. And **dear god** where was Tasuki's hand?

He strained to see, leaning over to the point where he lost his balance and fell. He shot back up, and looked around for possible laughter at his expense. When he found everyone looking towards the stage as should be, he turned and stalked off. This was enough. He was going to bring Ji out and have fun on his own happy date.

After paying for a piece of fruit, Kouji was happily chomping on it as he made his way through the crowds. He noticed a familiar head of hair coming his direction. Grinning, he tossed the remains of the apple in a barrel before stalking off towards his prey. Following Tama's movements was easy enough, even without his tracking-skills as a bandit. He reached out and caught Tamahome by the shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"Tama! Oi! I didn't know ya was out here. Whatcha up to?"

Tamahome cringed. He hated that name and Tasuki insisted on calling him that long enough now that others had picked up on it. He turned and tried to smile at the bandit, picking his hand from off his shoulder. A sweat drop accompanied his action.

"I'm just out here attending the festival." It came out more fake than it actually was. "Could you not call me by that name?" he ventured to ask.

Kouji pulled his hand away as he nodded. "Sure! No problem! I won't interrupt yer spyin'. Have you seen Mi-chan or Gen-er… I mean, Tasuki?"

He didn't remember if Tamahome knew Tasuki's bandit name, so he added the seishi name in case things got confusing. And why was the green-haired seishi out here alone? Didn't he have siblings or some other person he was with?

Tama bristled.

"I wasn't SPYING!" he screamed louder than he had wanted to.

A few fair-goers turned distained glares his way. Some patted their children away from the two quickly.

"I was going back to the palace to see if Ji was ready."

Why was he trying to make excuses to his guy?

Kouji laughed.

"Ya don't have to get so upset," he said. He noticed Tasuki's familiar head of hair moving through the crowd, away from them.

"Since yer so outspoken about spyin' let's go see what Tasuki an' Mi-chan are up to!"

Kouji winked and grabbed Tamahome briskly and started off in the general direction he had seen the couple going. It was a convenient excuse to spy on just what his buddy was doing with his girl.

***

Tasuki heard a crash not too far off and turned away from the juggler to see what it was. He could only see a mass of other people but a bit of green hair caught his attention. He looked at the head of hair for a minute then shook it off as coincidence.

There was no way Tama would leave his kids to come to a festival and spy on him. Tama had made it clear how he felt when Tasuki had confronted him; why would he spy? He wouldn't.

He turned his attention back to Miaka, a half smile on his face. "Wanna go see somethin' else or ya wanna watch th' strong man what's next?"

Miaka wobbled on his shoulder but was entranced by the juggler, wondering if she could possibly learn to do that. _Maybe not... I have no co-ordination._

She looked around, searching for something else they might be able to do. "Oh! There's a puppeteer over there! Let's go that way!" she leaned in the direction she wanted to go, sliding forward.

"Iya!" Her hands flailed in the air as she slid from his shoulder, heading for the ground.

Tasuki's arm went around her waist as she slid from his shoulder and he pulled her back against him to keep her from falling. He gulped as he realized that her bottom was pressed against his lower belly, he quickly put her down.

"Err, sure. We c'n go see th' puppets."

It seemed that Suzaku was determined to kill him with embarrassment; how else could he explain the multiple blushes and strange situations he found himself in lately? It had to be Suzaku doing it... or he had really, _really_ bad karma.

"Wanna get some sugared cream t'enjoy th' show with? I hear it's real tasty."

"That sounds delicious!" She let him lead her in the direction of the cream. A couple of small boys flying kites ran past them, bumping into her a little. Everyone seemed so happy! This was the kind of place she wanted Konan to be always.

Tasuki grinned and took her hand, pulling her passed children tugging ornate kites behind them. An image of Yuiren and Chuei doing the same thing flashed in his mind and he decided to pick them kites of their own.

Getting Miaka some sugared cream first was more important on his list of 'things to do' and so the kites would wait for a little while. The vendor was crowded with small kids who had tugged their parents over. He laughed a little bit as he pictured Miaka doing the same thing.

They waited in line for only a few minutes, and when they got to the vendor Tasuki pointed to the board behind the old lady's head. "Pick what flavor ya want."

"Hmmm..." she looked over the surprisingly extensive list of flavors. "I know! I'll have strawberry." She smiled sweetly at Tasuki. "Thanks Tasu-chan. What flavor are you going to have?"

Tasuki looked up at the board, "Gimme th' blueberry one. Ma says it helps build up... err, ya ain't gotta know that. Uh, okay, gimme th' blueberry one, oba-san and get my... uh, th' lady a strawberry one thanks." He felt his face heating up with a blush once more. He couldn't believe he'd almost spit out his mother's opinions on the effects of blueberries on the male body to Miaka of all people and then had almost called her 'his woman' to an old lady!

Something was really wrong with his head lately.

Miaka silently wondered what it was blueberries supposedly did for guys. Keisuke was always eating them. Maybe she'd ask him later. Tasuki was obviously unsure of how to act, making her giggle. "I wish Yui was here to enjoy this. She would have loved to take part in a festival." She sighed, wondering about her friend. Yui hadn't been at the front of her mind lately, for which she felt guilty.

Tasuki glanced down at her, "Oh yeah, that girl ya wanted t'find. I take it she never showed up here?"

She shook her head. "Not so far. I don't even know if she's in this world at all."

What was she doing!? This was supposed to be a date, she needed to cheer back up. "Ready to watch the puppets?"

Tasuki wanted to ask more, but could tell she didn't want to talk about it. "Sure Mi-chan, wherever ya wanna go." He smirked and took her arm, leading her back to the puppet booth.

***

"Wha-what? Wait!"

Tamahome had taken one failed step towards the palace and was yanked by the arm back in the direction he came. He continued to be dragged through the crowds, pouting. He reached his hand out to it as he watched his goal of the palace shrink.

"Why do you need ME to do this?" Tama fumed, jumping up and tugging Kouji's hand from his shirt.

Turning Kouji frowned.

"'Cause it would look weird if I was alone out here... besides... You're a seishi, gotta make sure Mi-chan is protected, ne?"

Kouji looked around. "Oi! They're goin' that way!"

***

Miaka reached the puppet booth and leaned back against Tasuki. Children crowded around the base of the show, waiting for it to start. A man to the side narrated the story acted out by the puppets. He waited for the people around to quiet a bit, then pulled back the curtain and told the story.

"Once there was a cowherd, Niu-Lang, who lived with his elder brother and sister-in-law. But his sister-in-law disliked and abused him, and the boy was forced to leave home with only an old cow for company."

The puppet of Niu-Lang and the cow were made to walk along a lonely looking road.

"The cow, however, was a former god who had violated imperial rules and was sent to earth in bovine form.

The boy was lonely, and he wished only to find a wife and start a family. One day the cow led Niu-Lang to a lake where fairies took a bath on earth. Among them was Zhinu, the most beautiful fairy and a skilled seamstress."

The doll of Zhinu was bathing in a lake and everyone 'ooo-ed' and 'ahhh-ed'.

"Niu-Lang fell in love with the fairy at first sight. To prevent her from returning to heaven, he stole her robes and hid them away. Her sisters all returned but she was stuck on earth. Niu-Lang told the fairy he loved her and wanted her to be his wife. She fell in love with him and the pair were soon married. They had a son and daughter."

The puppets continued acting out all of this, to the delight of the audience, especially Miaka.

"Yet in the eyes of the Emperor of Heaven, the father of Zhinu, marriage between a mortal and fairy was strictly forbidden. He sent the Empress to fetch Zhinu and bring her back."

She watched in awe as the puppets seemed to come to life before her, Zhinu's pleas to stay with her family went unheeded and she was carried into the sky by the Empress.

"Niu-Lang grew desperate when he discovered Zhinu had been taken back to Heaven. Driven by Niu-Lang's misery, the cow told him to turn its hide into a pair of shoes after it died. The magic shoes whisked Niu-Lang, who carried his two children in baskets strung from a shoulder pole, off on a chase after the Empress."

She tugged on Tasuki's sleeve, pointing at the stage as they watched the puppets chase each other through a starry sky.

"The pursuit enraged the Empress, who took her hairpin and slashed it across the sky creating the Milky Way which separated husband from wife."

Tears rolled down her cheeks as the lovers tried to reach for each other from across the divide. _Being separated from the person you care about like that... It must hurt. Yui-chan, I hope you're okay._ Some of the youngest girls in the crowd cried also, despairing for poor Zhinu and Niu-Lang.

"But all was not lost as Magpies, moved by their love and devotion, formed a bridge across the Milky Way to reunite the family.

Even the Emperor of Heaven was touched, and allowed Niu-Lang and Zhinu to meet once a year on the seventh night of the seventh month."

The play came to its close and everyone applauded loudly. The narrator bowed, and continued. "Young ladies in the crowd, there is a shrine on the other side of town. We recommend you visit it today to beg Zhinu for wisdom, dexterity and a satisfying marriage in the future. Thank you!" He bowed again and the crowd began to disperse.

Miaka leaned against Tasuki and sighed. "How romantic. Lovers torn apart by the Heavens. Where should we go next?"

The story was one Tasuki had heard many times as a kid, back when Ma and Papa would drag their gaggle of kids to the festivals. This time it was different though; he had an understanding of what the story was about and thinking on the twisting in his heart when Miaka was nearby made the story that much more heartbreaking.

Miaka would be like that fairy; taken back to her own world once she summoned Suzaku.

What would his feelings amount to then? Not a damned thing. Better to keep them quiet, no matter what happened.

"Yeah, romantic," he gulped. She sounded all dreamy and adorable. _Shit, this is gonna be harder than I thought._

He shook his head and closed his eyes with a sigh, "How about we just wander around 'til we find somethin' interestin'?"

***

"If you think it's so strange, then why are you out here on your own?" Tamahome huffed.

He had crossed his now-free arms and stood defiantly still.

The crowds had forgotten them again, lured by the barking of the different sellers and shiny objects they had to offer.

"You think Miaka's in trouble with Tasuki?" Tama wavered a bit, cracking open one eye to check on what the bandit was doing. "Why did you let them go if you thought he was going to hurt her?"

He didn't believe their miko was in any danger in Tasuki's care. He wouldn't hurt her. Try and put his hands on....Maybe tagging along was a good idea.

"I was jus' lookin' out fer Miaka. Genrou wouldn't like me to be interferrin' with his date."

"Fine, I'll tag along. But ONLY because Miaka might get mol.. hurt."

Tamahome took one last look at the palace and imagined Ji smiling at all of the festivities. He sighed. Why did he have to go?

Walking through the crowd, Kouji swallowed hard, trying to calm his nerves. Miaka wouldn't do anything with Genrou, right? And Genrou wouldn't really go for his girl...

"Thanks for taggin' along, Tamahome," he said just as he spotted them. "Oh! There they are!"

***

Miaka wandered around with Tasuki, leaning on him a bit so she could keep up her pace. The sun was rising and the day was truly beginning. She could hear the people around her talking about the emissary. What would he look like? Would he arrive with a big fanfare or sneak through town unnoticed?

Despite her questions about the visitor, she couldn't focus on those thoughts for long. She was trying too hard to keep her heart from bursting out of her chest. Miaka moved her arm down so that her hand rested on Tasuki's while they were linked, making her blush.

She wanted to tell him how she felt. Not yet... she'd wait until they were alone. Blissfully unaware of their followers, Miaka peered at the goods the merchants had to offer as they wandered past the stalls.

"Look! Chrysanthemum wine. Want to try some?" she grinned.

Damn, but this girl knew how to talk to him. "We'll take four bottles," he told the merchant, digging around in his money pouch for enough okane to pay for them.

He grinned down at Miaka, "Kouji's gonna love this shit. I think I remember him sayin' that it's real smooth, th' kind ya drink an' don't realize when ya had too much. Figure that me an' Kouji c'n celebrate a bit with three of 'em an' I c'n share one with you." Finally, a woman who spoke his language. It wasn't sake, but it was close enough.

The merchant handed him a small crate with a leather strap, and he handed over the money.

Grinning like a child at the sweets shop, Tasuki gripped her hand. "Let's go find somewhere t'relax and enjoy some 'a this wine."

He leaned down and kissed her cheek, winking at her as he watched a delicate blush stain her cheeks. "Just fer a bit, an' I'll get us some food t'snack on so's we don't get drunk. What do ya say, sweetheart?"

When he called her sweetheart she felt that familiar giddy joy in her chest and stomach. She nodded and accompanied him to the various vendors to get food. He'd picked up all sorts of tasty local dishes, the smells making her mouth water. The way they zigzagged through the courtyard, she could hardly keep up with him. He looked so adorable running from booth to booth, trying to pick the very best food for the two of them to enjoy.

When enough food seemed to have been conjured up, they needed to find somewhere to enjoy it. She looked at him, wondering if she could really say what she was feeling. The date was going so well she didn't want to ruin it. But maybe... if he had a bit to drink...

"Now we just need to find somewhere to enjoy all of this," she looked around, eager to dig into all that food, "Is there somewhere we could enjoy this in private? I'd like to have a picnic but there's too many people here for the festival."

He grinned and gripped her hand. "C'mon, I gots an idea," he tugged gently on her hand, wanting her to move faster if she could. "There was a river 'round here somewhere, why don't we go see if there's a clear place t'eat?"

He grinned wider, hefting the bags on his shoulder a bit higher when they slipped down. She was so adorable when she got all shy like that. Wait. Did he just think that girly thought? Something about this girl made him act weird. Shaking his head he tugged her again.

"C'mon slow poke! Don't make me carry ya else yer gonna haft hold alla this stuff on yer lap."

***

Tamahome lifted his hands to rest his head on and stared up at the clouds. The sky was clear and the air was full of delicious aromas. He didn't want to be getting dragged around spying with this guy. It was the last thing he wanted to be doing but if Tasuki was going to be courting their miko he would keep an eye on them and make sure he didn't do anything... indecent with the young girl.

He didn't have much relaxation before Kouji declared his victory and pointed them out. Much to Tamahome's dismay, he was actually curious as to what they were doing. He grabbed Kouji by the collar and yoinked him down behind a basket.

"Get down!" he hissed to him when they were safely out of sight. "And stay quiet." Tama shook his head. "How did you two ever raid anything? The town would have heard you coming two days in advance."

He peeked out over the top of their wicker hiding spot and tried to locate them again.

"I ain't like this on a raid. An' I've never follow'd my best buddy before."

It had to be a lie that Miaka and his best friend were a couple. Hell, maybe the sake from the night before was tainted. Yes, it had to be that damned palace sake!

Despite the gargantuan festive crowd, Chichiri hadn't been searching for long when he spotted a tuft of blue-green hair and dark purple hair in the distance. Tamahome and Kouji were hiding behind a barrel together - talking not so quietly, and desperately trying not to be seen. Whoever they were afraid of must've been blind and deaf not to notice them. He tilted his head to the side curiously.

Miaka wasn't with them, but he couldn't help himself. He crouched down behind them.

"Who are we hiding from, no da?" he whispered.

"Ahghg!!"

Tamahome avoided jumping five feet in the air, but did manage to knock over the barrel they were so well covered by.

"Chichiri. What are you doing here?" he whispered intently to the monk, trying to straighten the barrel again.

"Damnit, Monk!" Kouji hissed softly, "We're not doin' anythin' ya should be concerned about."

He spotted another hiding spot several yards away; a couple of boxes that could well preserve their spying operation. Pointing, he shoved Tamahome in the direction, stumbling after him as he grabbed the monk's arm, tugging him with them.

"Shhh! We dun want 'em to hear us! Genrou will kill us if he discovers we're ruinin' his date with Miaka."

It was still funny to watch them jump a mile in the air at his arrival. He never got tired of doing that. Chichiri got the distinct feeling that they were meddling in things they probably shouldn't be.

It took him a minute to figure out who Kouji-kun meant when he said 'Genrou'. So that was it - these two were spying on Miaka and Tasuki. What did that mean about his feelings for Miaka?

He felt a twist in his stomach. He'd have to keep a close watch on this situation to make sure it didn't explode.

As for Tamahome-kun... what was he doing here? Didn't he see him yesterday, albeit while hurtling toward the water, about to kiss Ji-hime? He shook his head to clear it.

"I'm looking for Miaka-sama, no da," he explained, "Hotohori-sama said that she's here with Tasuki-kun."

_Which is funny, because I could've sworn he was gay._

A quick look around at the crowd revealed a mass of strangers - no fiery bandit and no young girl from another world.

"Anou... where did they go, no da?"

Tamahome made several failed attempts to lie about them not knowing where the two were. But, a few several stuttering excuses (and a bright red face) later, he gave up and hung his head.

"That way." He pointed a defeated finger towards the lake.

"So they think they can get away, eh?" Kouji grabbed a fistful of Tamahome's clothing and yanked, stalking off towards the water. As a flash of red caught his eyes, he ducked behind one of the corner bushes by a building, peeking through the leaves. He heard Miaka's cheerful voice and was pleased with himself. They were within earshot and hadn't been spotted yet.

He looked around for Chichiri, hoping the monk had found a decent hiding place too.

***

Miaka heard a noise behind them, but ignored it as she tried to follow Tasuki's mad dash for the river. She followed along behind him as quick as she could, not wanting to let him down. When they finally reached the river bank she paused to catch her breath. It was a nice area with plenty of trees and bushes and flowers...

She moved closer to the brush and noticed a bit of a clearing there. It would give them enough privacy to enjoy their brunch without needing to worry about people around them. The perfect spot for what she wanted to say. She gestured for Tasuki to follow her and walked down the little path, helping him with the food. The river ran past, gently swishing up against the rocks. She looked back at Tasuki's smiling face.

Miaka felt her heart pounding. _Doki... doki... doki..._

The air coming off the water was cool against her skin, a light breeze making her shiver. She stumbled a little on the rocky path, grabbing hold of Tasuki for support so she wouldn't fall. He looked just as terrified of her tumbling into the water as she did, but she laughed.

Genrou, her protector, Tasuki. There was a reason she met him, why he made her feel so safe. Something about him felt right to her. _To say no to Hotohori will be so difficult. He loves me. Despite all his kisses, I don't even know if Tasuki really likes me! He got upset when Hotohori proposed but... maybe he's just acting like a brother. A weirdo brother who kisses me._

The kiss the night before was the moment that made her realize it all in one rush of emotion. She had to make a decision. Just like with Kouji, she'd put her mind to a course of action and stick with it. She would find a way to summon Suzaku! She would tell Genrou... no, she'd tell Tasuki how she felt about him. She'd tell him now, while they were alone.

The foreign shoes she was wearing were small and awkward. She stumbled on the path again, falling on her butt. She rubbed the sore spot on her behind and crawled back to her feet, tightening her dress around her shoulders; too much movement was causing it to slide and fall. They'd reached the spot and it was more beautiful than she'd realized. She could see little Koi fish swimming in the water, all different colors. She knelt down and touched the water with her hand. The fish swam up, trying to nip her fingers like food and making her to giggle. "They tickle!"

Tasuki grinned as the small meadow came into view, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure Miaka was keeping up and slowed when he realized that she had fallen behind.

He waited patiently for her to catch up and followed her towards the riverside. He didn't like that. Water was not his friend. Miaka was determined to give him a heart attack though, stumbling along in clothes and shoes she wasn't accustomed to and falling down more than was usual for her.

When she fell down on her bottom and her dress slipped from her shoulders though, he had a hard time keeping his eyes at a respectable level until she'd covered up the skin that he really hadn't meant to stare at.

"A'course they tickle. They want ya t'laugh yerself off a yer feet and into th' water with'em. I'll stay over here, thanks."

Miaka stared up at him again, looking deep into his eyes. She tried to study every detail of his face for a mental snap shot, as though she might never see him again.

She could tell he was uncomfortable, but wasn't sure if it was because they were alone outside by the water or if it was the way the dress was having a difficult time staying up around her shoulders. She flushed, looking up at him. Her heart raced again.

_D__oki doki doki doki doki..._

Miaka wanted to tell him and she couldn't fail to do so now. Especially not since Suzaku delivered him straight to her side. Her hands held onto her dress, twisting the soft fabric between them. She couldn't find the words to speak. She needed to start small, work her way up to the big stuff, just like she did on exams.

"Tasu-chan, that dream last night... I've been so worried about you since I had it. You and Kouji were in some sort of danger and I don't want you to get hurt. That's sort of why I wanted you to come with me today."

She was staring at him again, that look in her eyes and on her face told him that she was nervous and excited; about what he had no idea, but he waited for her to start talking again.

He sighed and hung his head as she told him she was still worried over that stupid dream. "So, yer tryin' t'keep me safe by bringin' me t'water?" he blinked at her, "Dunno if'n ya know this Mi-chan, but this baka bandit don't swim. 'Sides, _I'm_ supposed t'do th' protectin' here. I'm th' seishi, yer th' miko. I protect you, Chibi Onna, that's how this works."

As usual Tasuki was more concerned for her than his own well being. But that dream... dark things attacking everyone.

"It's more than just your duty to me as a seishi. I want to try to protect the people I care about too!"

She helped him set up the food on the ground and brought out the wine, handing it to him to open. "Are you only sticking by me because of your duty to the miko?"

Tasuki grinned as he pulled the cork out of the first bottle, "Hell no. I was protectin' ya since before I realized you was th' miko. Think back t'our first night together; ya ran off cause I told ya I didn't like girls, an' I saved yer ass from those thugs in th' alleyway. I protect ya because I wanna, because ya need protectin'. Ya think I'd forgive myself if'n anythin' happened to ya?"

He searched around the small crate but found no sake bowls, he shrugged and tipped the bottle to his lips. "Mmm, that's good stuff! Have some Mi-chan," he held out the bottle for her to drink from.

She took the bottle cautiously. The pink color rushing to Tasuki's cheeks made her giggle. Lifting the bottle to her nose she smelled it, feeling a little nervous about taking a sip. "Keisuke would kill me if he knew I was drinking."

But you only visit ancient China in a book once, right? She shrugged, lifting the bottle to her lips and enjoying a big swig of wine. She swallowed, letting the warm tingles go down to her stomach. She began to slowly feel more at peace and comfortable. She passed the bottle back and started eating the food.

"Mmm this is delicious!"

Tasuki shook his head and took the bottle back, taking another swig before setting it aside to watch her eat.

Most times he'd be afraid of seeing her shovel food into her mouth, but right now he was content to watch her childish glee at discovering how each new dish she tasted. He lay on his side on the grass, one hand propping his head up. Golden eyes flickered over her, taking in how the light shone on her skin, how the scent of the river mingled with her own sweet scent.

He was startled to realize that she was absolutely stunning.

And she was all alone with him, secluded...

He leaned forward and pushed her hand aside, moving the food away from her mouth long enough to place a sweet kiss on her lips. "Tastes better when I c'n taste it that way," he whispered softly, gazing at her.

He was still confused as to what he wanted to do; the scales balancing his feelings for Miaka and Tamahome teetering dangerously between the two. He just couldn't decide which to allow himself to get closer to.

Miaka was more than a little surprised when he moved her hand aside and kissed her, but she leaned into it, letting him. She was disappointed when he pulled back, realizing even more strongly how she felt. His eyes moved over her again with a look she barely recognized.

Did he feel it too?

She wanted to jump onto him and kiss him back, but couldn't get up the nerve. Instead, she put down her food and slid closer to him, moving her face so close to his she could feel his breath on her.

"Tasu-chan..." she leaned in, then second guessed herself, reaching for the bottle and having another drink. "More wine?" she laughed, trying to mask what she was feeling.

Tasuki gulped as he realized he'd seen that look in her eyes once before. It was the same look she'd had when he'd stripped off his shirt, an almost hungry expression.

She was so close, her scent stronger now. Minty sweet breath tickled over his lips and he fisted his hand in the grass at his side. He wanted another taste of her, but then she leaned back and tipped the wine to her lips again.

His eyes widened as he realized that she was drinking far too much, far too fast. "M-Mi-chan, I don't think ya should drink no more of that. It's real potent, th' kind that'll knock ya on yer ass a'fore ya realize it," he took the bottle back and took another swallow, "It is good though. I just don't want yer brother tryin' t'kick my ass fer bringin' ya back drunk after only two hours."

Miaka leaned back in the grass. "Yeah. If Keisuke was going to beat you up, it should be for doing something much worse than getting me drunk."

She laughed, popping another bite in her mouth. Her dress slipped again and she began to pull it up until she noticed Tasuki looking at her. The wine was playing with her head and she couldn't stop her mouth. "Are you staring at me?"

Tasuki smirked and turned his eyes away, "Just wonderin' how much skin you was gonna let me see 'till ya realized I saw it," he blushed, embarrassed at being caught staring. "But I do think ya've had enough a this wine." He corked the bottle and set it back in the case, flicking it closed before he returned to staring at her.

"What else do ya think yer brother should try an' kick my ass for?" He scooted up to his hands and knees and crawled over to her, snagging a bite of cake out of her fingers with his teeth.

"Mmm, this is tasty too."

Shivers ran through her when his tongue made contact with the skin of her fingers. It was a strange feeling. Was it the wine? When he looked at her or touched her she wanted so much more.

"Keisuke is pretty protective of me. I think he tries to be a father since ours isn't around."

Her eyes glanced about, trying to make sure they were still alone. The time with just the two of them made her feel like she could stay in this world forever. Life was much easier for her here.

"He thinks that all men want is sex. He'd definitely kick your ass if we did that," she flicked his nose playfully.

Tasuki laughed and sat back, "Mi-chan, I would hafta agree with him. Sex is what is on most men's minds. Not mine, a'course, but most of 'em."

"I ain't gonna talk to ya 'bout sex though, yer too young. Hell, I ain't even had sex yet, an' I'm older than you."

Miaka rolled her eyes. "I'm not that young!"

For some reason his implication that she was too young for sex bothered her. But she couldn't figure out why.

"I'm old enough to have a boyfriend and a relationship and all that mushy stuff that goes along with it. I'm old enough to be in love."

Tasuki laughed, "Love? Ha! Love don't do nothin' but hurt ya, trust me, I know," he growled and scooted over to look at her closely.

"Ya ain't old enough t'be in love with no one, much less know about sex an' mushy shit. I won't allow it! You're not allowed t'love nobody! Ya hear me?" He growled darkly, his yoku flickering to life and shining through his shirt sleeve.

Her eyes had filled with tears, threatening to pour over onto her cheeks at any moment. She felt her chest twisting like the silk in her fingers. The words were bubbling up in her throat, not to be contained by closed lips or her determined mind.

She was holding the fabric in her hands so tightly now she was afraid she'd rip it. She could taste the salt of her own tears on her lips, but it didn't matter now. She'd begun this and had to tell him how she really felt.

"Tasu-chan you don't understand at all..."

Her voice cracked, desperate to be heard.

"...I..."

._..doki...doki...doki...doki...doki...doki...doki...doki...  
_  
"... I lo..."

_...doki...doki...doki...doki...doki...doki...doki...doki..._

"Tasu-chan, I love you! I'm in love with you!"

Her hands went to her mouth, as though trying too late to contain the words that sprang out.

Tasuki scooted back, eyes wide and heart thumping wildly in his chest. "W-what?" he blinked several times, trying to make those words fit in his head.

"Love me? You... Miaka, are you sure? I mean, do you know it's love?"

He shook his head, "But... but love is... you're too young t'want love! I'm... I'm not ready to make love with nobody, and you are too young to give it."

Miaka blinked, rubbing the tears away. "Make love? Who said anything about that?"

Tasuki growled, "You did! Ya said ya l-love me! What else am I supposed to think?!"

"But that doesn't mean I want..." she moved closer to him, realizing he had no idea what she was talking about. "Don't you know what love is?"

"A'course I do! Love is havin' sex, everybody knows that!" he got to his knees, leaning over her and growling. His yoku blazing scarlet through his shirt sleeve, burning a hole through the thin material as his ki spiked.

Miaka was relieved that he was just dense, not uninterested. "No, dummy, that's only part of it!" she sighed, afraid she'd have to tell him what she meant more clearly. "When I think about you it makes my heart race. I like you... but more than that, I want you to be the only person to hold me close and kiss me."

She grabbed a hold of his shirt and touched his face, gently tracing her fingertips across his cheek. "Unless you would rather someone else kissed me?"

Tasuki blinked and sat back on his heels. "Makes yer heart race?" he thought about that for a second. Thoroughly confused about what he felt and for whom.

"No, I don't want ya kissin' nobody... but," he paused and had the decency to blush, "What about Kouji? I kinda get th' feelin' he still feels somethin' for you. Even if he says he don't."

"I care about Kouji but I don't love him. When we were alone he reminded me of you. He's a good person, but I just don't feel that way about him."

Miaka sat back and curled her arms around her legs, looking for the words. "Hotohori asked me to marry him, but I'll say no for the same reason I would to Kouji. I'm in love with someone else."

The confused expression on his face was obvious and disappointing. Miaka got to her feet, straightening out the dress and trying to push her feelings back. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you."

Tasuki gripped her hand, pulling her back down to sit down in his lap. "No, I'm flattered that ya told me, it's just that... well, I don't know what to say back. I really like ya, Mi-chan. I like holdin' ya, kissin' ya, but... I dunno if'n that's love."

He sighed, hugging her tightly. "Can you give me time to figure out how I feel before you go deciding that you want to be with me?"

Miaka nodded, quietly. She was being held by him but it wasn't in the way she'd wanted. He needed to sort out his own feelings but he couldn't keep touching her like this until he knew what he felt. More importantly, she needed to try to push back her feelings in case he didn't love her back.

"I should probably go back to the palace, anyway. I need to talk with Hotohori-sama and figure out a way to find Yui-chan." She swallowed hard, but let herself smile. "I had fun today, though."

Chichiri tilted his head and peered across the water at the strange new couple. While Kouji ducked behind another conveniently placed bush, the monk walked straight down the pathway headed for the two.

"Good morning, Miaka-sama, Tasuki-kun, no da."

He eyed them carefully. Miaka was seated in Tasuki's lap, and there was no mistaking the awkwardness of the moment.

"Miaka-sama, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I think I've found your seventh seishi, Chiriko, no da. A boy by the name of Ou, no da. I can't seem to get a clear reading on him, no da. Hotohori-sama suggested that you spend some time with him and see if he starts to accept his place as a Suzaku seishi, no da."

Behind his mask, his eyes traveled over Tasuki's face - traveled the curves in Miaka's body, tucked against his body, noted the faint blushes on their cheeks.

"Tamahome-kun and Kouji-kun can escort you back. I need to talk to Tasuki-kun, no da."

Tamahome had gotten up out of the hiding place. He hadn't heard much, but he saw enough. There was no point in this. He felt foolish for even letting himself be dragged into spying on a date. He chided himself quietly and tried to push the whole thing out of his head. He heard Chichiri greet them as he walked away, and he shook his head. Thank the gods that the monk had a level head. If he had any common sense in his own, he would have just gone up to the two and said hi, and left. He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets, the picture of perfect dejection as he stalked away unseen.

Until.

Uyh! He froze mid step, his foot still hanging in the air. He made a mental note to kill that happy monk for alerting them to his presence. He spun around a huge fake grin on his face and raised his hand.

"Hi. We just came by… with Chichiri, looking for you... you two. Hope you had a good time at the festival. Time to go now though," he spoke with the sincerity of a tour guide.

Oh! The last of Chichiri's words made it into his shocked brain. He only had to take _Miaka_ home. Not that bad. He straightened up and cleared his throat, riding it off that pesky tremble and held out his crooked arm for her to hold on to.

"Yeah," Kouji agreed with Tama's words, trying not to act suspicious. He avoided eye contact with Genrou. "Tamahome will escort ya back like th' monk said. I have, uh, some business to attend to first."

The sight of Miaka in Genrou's lap now was unbearable. Kouji made a mental note to talk to Genrou about this later. Turning away from Tamahome and the others, he briskly made for the path leading back towards the city, wanting to escape his own emotions.

Miaka jumped up shortly after the others made themselves known. Had they been watching this whole time? Her face got red and hot, but she couldn't think of a thing to say.

Not only had she told Tasuki her feelings, but Tasuki embarrassed her by saying no!

Kouji had stalked off before she got the chance to say anything to him. She felt a little sad, wondering if maybe his heart was battling his head.

Miaka grabbed a hold of Tamahome's arm happily, pretending what Tasuki had said didn't bother her at all. She hugged Tamahome's arm, hoping to make Tasuki just a teeny bit jealous. "I'll be happy to go with you Tamahome! Tasuki, show me what you bought for you-know-who later, kay?" She hoped he knew she meant Yuiren, not wanting to ruin the surprise for Tamahome.

She turned away, holding onto Tamahome tightly as they walked down the path. When they got far enough away her eyes began to water. She couldn't stop herself from crying.

"I'm sorry Tamahome... *sniff* I-I don't know what's wrong with me," she rubbed her eyes, holding onto him for support.

Tamahome cast a momentary glance down at his arm and fought the soft blush that wanted to color his cheeks. Instead he flashed a smile to Miaka and led them on. Only a short while in, the girl on his arm began to cry.

Tamahome stopped walking and ushered her to an out of the way spot.

"Shhh, it's ok. He didn't say anything that hurt you did he?" he asked with quiet cooing hushes.

The festival was bustling regardless of the tears that came to Miaka's cheeks. Children pulled along their mothers towards brightly colored tents and sweets and the entertainers displayed their skills.

Tamahome untied the yellow sash around his waist and offered it up to dry her tears.

"I know you don't know me very well, but I told you I'd protect you, and I meant that. You can tell me anything," he gave her a reassuring smile, "I have lots of practice being a big brother.

Miaka took the yellow sash, wiping her eyes with it. The tears made the silk take on a darker stain of color, but she couldn't help herself. Tamahome's kind eyes were searching her face for the cause of her upset.

"Nnn. He didn't say anything to hurt me. Not on purpose, anyway." She felt like she was always acting like a child who needed to be taken care of. Somehow, she actually felt comforted by the man at her side. Tamahome had offered himself up as a brother for her and she needed a brother who wouldn't scold her for liking a bandit.

"I don't know if you overheard but... I told Tasu-chan that I was in love with him. He didn't know what to say," she tried to laugh at herself, "I don't know why I thought he would react differently. I'm pretty foolish, aren't I?"

Something small dropped in his chest when she told him, but he kept up his smile for her. Poor girl. She must feel alone here, away from her world and everything she ever knew.

He reached out and pushed her hair away from her tear-streaked cheeks. "Everyone's foolish when it comes to love. Don't single yourself out."

"You're not foolish. You and Ji-hime seem so happy together."

She smiled for him, knowing that the moment must be a little uncomfortable. They didn't know each other well, but there was still a bond there that she couldn't explain.

Tamahome lifted her chin up and prodded for a small smile. "Hey, I knew he's a little dense, but to pass on a girl like you? More of an idiot than I thought."

Miaka felt a warmth in her chest when Tamahome touched her face, brushing the hair aside. He was very handsome and sweet. If she'd met him first maybe she wouldn't have had so much heartbreak.

"He didn't really say no but... he said he needed to think. He wasn't sure what he was feeling. I guess I shouldn't let it bother me, right? If the summoning goes well then I'll be going home anyway."

_Right Miaka, you should just forget about Tasuki. You told him how you felt but it's too late to do anything about it now. Just do the summoning and get back to your real life._

She tugged Tamahome along, working their way back towards the palace. As they walked she glanced around at the people in the street enjoying the festival. She loved this world so much she was willing to go through all that she had to in order to save it.

"This country is so happy. It's weird... when I got here I just wanted to get back home. Now I feel like I belong. If I could just find Yui-chan, your world would be perfect!" she giggled, feeling much better being with Tamahome. He had a calmness about him and a maturity she admired. No wonder Yuiren looked up to him so much.

"Are all countries as cheerful as Konan?"

Tamahome chuckled. "The other countries don't have the pleasure of such a kind Emperor, but I've never been outside of Konan so I wouldn't say for sure."

He looked up to the brightening sky. Konan was a wonderful place to live. "Once we summon Suzaku, we'll be able to live like this for a long time to come." He smiled down at Miaka. "So Yui is your sister?" he questioned.

"Sister? No, no Yui-chan is my friend. We're trying to go to the same high school. She's way smarter than I am, though.

"Keisuke is my brother, though. My only sibling. Our Mom and Dad split up so Mom's been raising us alone. I guess she's probably pretty worried about us."

She looked around as they made their way back towards the palace, taking in all the sights and sounds of Konan. She didn't want to ever forget about this place.

"What's your family like?"

Tamahome kept a smile on his face as he was ranted to about her family. It was funny though. She opened up so easily that it made him feel comfortable around her.

He tensed at her question, a somber gaze filled his gray eyes for a moment. "My family is…" he hesitated. He didn't want to bring Miaka down now that she had stopped crying. "My family is just Yuiren and Chuei and me, so you've met them all." He smiled warmly and the sad look in his eyes faded.

He stopped suddenly and slapped a hand to his forehead. "I almost forgot!" he exclaimed, "Come with me for a second, ok?"

He grabbed Miaka's hand and quickly made his way to the shops, scanning the carts for something he could bring back for them.

Miaka let him grab her hand, dragging her along. It felt like they were really becoming friends, to be so comfortable to do that. She didn't want any of her seishi treating her 'special' when she wanted to just be a friend.

"Yuiren and Chuei are sweet kids. They look up to you and I can see why. You're really nice, Tamahome."

She held on to his hand tightly, blushing as she thought about how she held Tasuki's hand like this not so long ago.

"Where are we going?"

Tamahome barely heard Miaka in his rush to find his children something special, but he stopped and turned toward her at the compliment.

"Thanks."

He saw the color on her cheeks and had to force down his own embarrassment. He let her hand go, hoping he hadn't offended her by touching her. "I need to find them both presents. It's not everyday a festival is in town," he grinned and waved her to come along as he continued his quest.

Miaka scoured the carts around them, looking for something appropriate, but she didn't know the kids well enough to have any idea what they'd like.

She thought back to her own childhood and the times Keisuke had taken her out while their parents were splitting up. One moment stuck in her mind.

"You know, I saw a bunch of children flying kites earlier. Would they like that?"

"That's a great idea! But…" Tamahome put a hand to his chin and thought about it. "Chuei would be ok, but I don't know if Yuiren would be able to fly one."

"That's what big brothers are for!" Miaka pushed his arm playfully.

She looked around at the booths, trying to figure out an appropriate gift for the little girl. "What else would Yuiren like?"

"I could get her the kite and maybe something she could play with when I'm not around." His eyes shone and his grin widened. "A ball or a doll. She likes dolls, she always slept with one back home." He was giddy again, thinking of all the things he'd be able to get them.

Miaka watched the way Tamahome's eyes danced when he talked about the kids. They were like his own children. She smiled at him, a big grin on her face.

"Get some sweets, too! Kids love sweets!" she tugged on his arm, pointing at a cart of treats a little bit away. She was having such a good time that she forgot about the pain in her heart for a while. It was nice to spend time in this world not worrying about where to go or how to get home. For just a day she was like a normal girl from Konan.

"Are you going to give them the presents as soon as we get back?"

Tamahome nodded to both the sweets and the question and pulled followed Miaka in the direction of the cart.

He gladly pulled out the few coins he still had with him and picked up some sakura mochi, fruit drops, and two taiyaki for them. After securing the goodies, he turned to Miaka with a big grin.

"So where are the kites?"

Miaka grinned, tugging him along by the hand. "This way!" she raced over, dragging Tamahome along with her. She pointed excitedly to the different types.

"Look they have Koi and Dragonfly and even Suzaku ones! Which do you think the kids would like?"

She looked through the kites, making sure not to miss any that might be hidden away. "Ne, Tamahome, are you going to come to the palace dinner with the emissary tonight?"

Tamahome was busy picking through the plethora of different colored kites when she asked. He looked up and frowned.

"I wasn't really invited, was I supposed to be?"

"I hope so. It would be nice to visit with you more at dinner," she smiled, feeling like she'd made a new friend.

"I'm so nervous I'm going to mess up and embarrass Hotohori-sama. I've never been to a fancy dinner like this."

Tamahome smiled and nodded to her offer. "If I could come, I'd like to. Especially if it will help you feel more comfortable."

He pulled up a bight blue kite with a red and gold image of a phoenix on it. The tail was made of rainbow colored strips of crepe. "This will look like a real phoenix flying in the sky. I think Yuiren will really like it." He plucked through the rest and found an equally pretty fish design for Chuei, paid his coins and clutched the new toys to his chest.

"Let's get back, I can't wait to give these to them."

Miaka grabbed his arm, hurrying the rest of the way back to the palace. She knew that the children would be excited to see the gifts and Tamahome should probably go be with them, but she felt a little sad their fun had come to an end. Now she'd be alone with her thoughts.

At the gates to the palace, she let go of his arm, smiling wide. "Thanks for walking me back, Tamahome. I had fun. Now I guess I should probably wait for Chichiri. Maybe I'll go wander the gardens for a little..." she was thinking out loud, not really paying attention.

"Oh! Let me know if the kids like the presents!" she gave Tamahome a hug then went up on her tip-toes to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. "Thank you." She knew he'd understand the kiss was repayment for being so nice to her.

"See ya later!" She wandered off to the palace gardens, waving to Tamahome.

***

Tasuki goggled at the people that were coming out of the woodwork, and in Kouji's case it was quite literal. Where were these people coming from? Had they been following along all this time?

Gods he hoped not, but judging from how Kouji wouldn't even look at him and Tamahome's stuttered greeting he'd say they had.

He leapt to his feet, tessen in hand, and would have flamed the idiots for following them, but held back. Miaka was hugging on to Tamahome's arm in a very, _very_ friendly way. He growled and would have followed after them, but remembered that Chichiri had said he wanted to talk.

"Arright, Kitsune-chan. What's th' big deal followin' us around on our date? I don't follow you when ya go an' do monk things. An' what th' hell do ya mean ya gotta talk t'me? Couldn't ya just say it while everyone else was here?"

Ignoring Tasuki's bucket of questions, Chichiri waited until the others were out of sight before he removed his mask. It had been Tasuki's request that he not 'hide', and he hoped that being able to see his face would clue him in on the seriousness of what he was about to say.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but we want to get the summoning underway as soon as possible, and for that we need Chiriko, no da. I also wanted to talk to you about Miaka-sama..."

A light frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. He stared down at the grass, blades trembling in the breeze. It felt like Tasuki and the others were sliding uncontrollably down a mountain. He couldn't be sure that what he was about to say would make any difference, but he had to try.

"I don't know what kind of feelings you have for her, but it'd be best if you don't get too close to her, no da." He looked up to search Tasuki's eyes. "She'll be going back to her world as soon as we gather all of the seven celestial warriors, which should be very soon, no da. Also..."

He gazed off in the direction Kouji had run.

"Even if Kouji-kun won't admit it, you should be careful with him, no da. You don't want to have to choose between a friend and a lover," he finished quietly.

Tasuki opened his mouth to argue that he didn't know what the hell Chichiri was talking about when it hit him; Miaka would be going home, and possibly soon.

He closed his eyes, "It's not like she really means she loves me. It more that she likes me right now," he shrugged and turned his head to the side. "Didn't you see how she walked off with Tama-fuckin'-home? All loved up to him! And he fucking let her! How's _that_ for '**love**', eh?" he grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest, pouting.

"I know what you mean about Kouji, though. He's been acting weird. Last night I noticed it," he sighed and dropped his head to the side, shoulders slumping.

"Why would he lie to me, Kitsune-chan? All he has to say is 'Genrou, back off of my woman'. I even tried to get him to admit it this morning, he just laughed and said not to worry about it! He _said_ I could **have her**!" He blinked several times, realizing how possessive he had made that last sentence sound.

"But, if you say back off, I'll back off. Buddies before women, or which ever you're into. I mean, no, buddies before women," he laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

That was far too simple and that made him uneasy. Could Tasuki really keep a level-head about all of this? Faced with the choice between his best friend and his love? Maybe Tasuki really wasn't in love with her. Maybe it was Tamahome after all. It made his head spin. It was none of his business, but it was quickly becoming that way due to the effect it could have on the summoning. He was tempted to ask, to get it all out in the open.

But it was the exchange in which Kouji told Tasuki he could 'have' Miaka that made him stop short. Tasuki really could never tell a fake smile when he saw one, could he? Chichiri imagined the ghost of his younger self running away alongside Kouji.

He placed a hand on Tasuki's shoulder.

"If Kouji-kun comes to you, if he talks to you, if he does anything reckless, just remember, he still loves you."

Tasuki gave Chichiri a look that explained everything he was feeling in that moment, coupled with the one sentence that just couldn't be held back.

"_**WHAT**_?!" His jaw hit the ground and his eyes nearly left their sockets. "He told ya about that?! That bastard, I'll fuckin' kill him! I told him not t'talk about that! He said he was just drunk an' didn't remember much of that!" he pulled his tessen out of the sheath on his back and growled, turning to stalk off in the direction Kouji had run off in.

"I'll be back after I flame broil his ass!" he growled, over his shoulder. "Th'nerve a that guy goin' around tellin' people about... about _THAT_!"

Chichiri was completely flabbergasted. He had no earthly clue about what had just happened, but he was sure of two things 1) it wasn't information he needed to have 2) it was an absolute misunderstanding.

If he didn't clear this up now, he'd send a very pissed off Tasuki toward a possibly livid Kouji.

"Anou..."

Tasuki kept stalking off.

"Anou..."

Still going.

"Tasuki!"

Chibi Chichiri dashed after Tasuki. He ran around in front of him and held out his arms.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about, no da. It's a misunderstanding, no da!"

Tasuki stopped and looked down at the chibified monk, an eyebrow raised. "Huh? But ya said... wait, what th' hell are ya callin' love then? Love means sex, right? Don't tell me ya got that weird idea of love like Mi-chan does. Ya know, 'bout love meanin' yer breath goes all weird an' ya look all lost an' shit. Cause if'n ya do, I swear I'm gonna be sick."

He sat down on the path and frowned, putting one fist on his hip and the other under his chin in his classic 'thinking hard' pose.

"Okay, so wait, Mi-chan loves me an' Kouji loves me. Anybody else ya know who wants t'bang me? Cause I really ain't got time fer lots a people after my ass. I gots t'take care a Mi-chan, get toys fer th' kids, beat th' hell outta Hotohori fer gettin' that kick in on my nuts, an' somehow help get Mi-chan home. Fuckin' anybody is waaay out right now. So, tell me who the hell else it is so's I c'n stay away from 'em."

Chichiri was back in normal form. His mask had popped back on once he'd gone running after Tasuki. At least Tasuki's strange explanation of love and sex revealed Miaka's feelings for him. That poor, poor girl. He shook his head.

"Tasuki-kun, when I said Kouji-kun loves you, I mean like a friend, no da. Love doesn't always mean sex, no da."

He'd just let well enough alone in terms of Tasuki's inadvertent admission to sexual relations with Kouji.

He sighed and crouched down in front of him.

It wasn't that he was adverse to explaining all of this... to a pubescent child, but Tasuki really should have _some_ understanding of love. What were they teaching bandits these days?

"The way people feel and express love is different for everyone, but love is about a feeling you have here," he balled up his fist and placed it over his heart, "It's about wanting to be with someone because they make you happy, and about putting their needs above your own, no da."

Tasuki blinked, "So, it's like strong friendship? What Kouji feels for me, I mean. Damn, that's a load off! I don't think I could handle him goin' all nuts like... err, well, ya don't gotta know that," he had the grace to blush, but it soon faded as all the color drained out of his face. "Shit. Uh, just forget about that uh, tantrum I threw. It was a... uh, well... a joke? Yeah, a joke!" he laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck again.

He cleared his throat and looked at the ground, "So, you feel a kind of tightness in your chest? Like you can't stand to be away from someone for long? Goddamnit! Now what the hell do I do? I get that kinda tight feeling in my chest when-" he stopped, shaking his head and flopped back on the grass path with a groan.

"Now I know why Ma always complained about them idiot sisters of mine falling in love with every other field hand that came along. Loving too many people at once sucks!" he sat up with a wide eyed look, gripping Chichiri's shoulders almost desperately. "Tell me that you can only really love one person. Tell me that I can't have two people that I love like that! It's gotta be a different kind of love. It's gotta be! Maybe I love Mi-chan like my miko and I love..." he looked away, "That other person like a friend?"

He begged Chichiri for an answer, maybe Chichiri could tell him what he felt and it would stop bouncing around in his head and making him crazy. He looked hopefully at Chichiri's masked face, trying to read an answer in the happy half-moons that served for eyes.

Chichiri rested his hands over Tasuki's, even if just to get him to stop shaking him. He could see the wild panic racing around in his eyes, but he had no easy answers. He sighed.

"I can't tell you how you feel about anyone, no da. That's something you'll have to decide for yourself. Calm down and listen to your heart, and you'll figure it out, no da," he hesitated, not sure if he saw understanding looking back at him, "By listen to your heart, I mean pay attention to what you feel when you think about them or when you're around them, na no da."

He flicked Tasuki lightly on the forehead.

"You got it, no da?"

"But... but..." he sighed and let go of Chichiri's shoulders, flopping back on the grass again. "I get almost the same feeling when I think about both of them. Is there like a test I can do to see which one I like more than the other?"

He put his hands over his face, groaning in dismay. "Can't I just kiss both of them and see if either of them make that feeling better or something? Damnit, this sucks. I know Mi-chan says she loves me, but T- err, that other person kinda already rejected me. So, should I give up on h-uh, the other person and just accept Miaka's feelings? Or should I keep trying to get that other person to love me?"

He shook his head and sat up, "Sorry, man, didn't mean to lay all of this shit on you but... I dunno, ya seem like a pretty smart guy an' I figured you'd be able t'help me figure this out." he grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck again.

There were many sweat drops as he listened to Tasuki's not-so-well thought out plan.

Chichiri's mask hid his wistful smile. He felt like he was the last person anyone should come to for romantic advice, but that was precisely why he was the prime candidate for it. For a moment, he stared up at the blue umbrella sky and listened to the distant sounds of merrymaking.

"You can't make anyone fall in love with you, no da. As for Miaka-sama, that's why I wanted to talk to you alone in the first place. It'd be best for you both if you don't get too close to her, because she'll be going back home very soon, no da."

He studied Tasuki's face. Essentially he'd just told him that he shouldn't pursue either of the people he felt a connection with. Would he be mature enough to accept his words?

"So, I gotta just forget about both of 'em?" he sighed again and scrubbed a hand over his eyes. "All right, I'll try it your way, but if it don't work out right I'm gonna go back to my plan of kissin' 'em to see which one makes my heart thump."

He got to his feet and offered Chichiri a hand up. "So, she's really gotta help with Chiriko or was that just to keep me from makin' more of an ass outta myself? Oh, an' I gotta question for ya; what do little girls like? I know boys fine, but girls confuse the hell outta me. I wanna get Yuiren and Chuei a toy from the festival but I ain't got a clue as to what little girls like. Any ideas?"

"Hotohori-sama suggested that she spend some time with him, no da. He seems to think that his seishi symbol will show itself in her presence, no da."

He didn't miss a beat between questions.

"Dolls and ribbons are popular with girls, no da."

It occurred to him that leaving this in Tasuki's hands could result in disaster. In his imagination, a doll with sharp fangs and beady eyes hissed at Tamahome's little sister. Screams echoed through the palace halls, and the frantically sobbing girl ran to her brother's arms. Tamahome prepared to beat Tasuki to a bloody pulp, and he just sat there with a confused look on his face, and one fang poking out over his lips.

Chichiri clapped a hand down on Tasuki's shoulder.

"I'll come with you, no da."

Tasuki grinned wide, "That's great! C'mon, let's go!" he grabbed Chichiri's wrist and ran off toward the festival, monk flying like a kite behind him.

He flit from one stall to another, looking for the perfect doll for Yuiren. She was secretly his favorite so he wanted to get her something really nice.

He found a doll vendor set up near the palace walls and grinned wider, "Here! This is where we're gonna find the perfect doll!" People stared at him strangely, wondering what a full grown man could want with a doll and why he was dragging a monk by the hand. Tasuki ignored them completely, focusing instead on which doll would be just right for his little Yu-chan.

Dolls of all colors were set in a large display, allowing the customers get a good look at them. A small doll at the end caught his attention and he motioned for the vendor to hand it to him.

The little doll was pretty. Bright red hair, pretty painted smile and wide blue eyes. It was more fragile than some of the others, made of silk and porcelain rather than cloth. He grinned over at Chichiri, "This one'll make her happy. And look," he held the doll over so Chichiri could see it. "It's got red hair like mine. That way, she'll always know it was me what gave it to her."

He smiled down at the little doll, imagining the look of happiness on Yuiren's face when he gave it to her later. "How much?"

"Two silver ryo, that's real fine quality porcelain and silk there," the vendor said, leaning over the display.

Chichiri examined the face of the doll with a note of alarm.

"Ah, Tasuki, how old is the girl, no da?"

Tasuki looked down at the doll for a moment, pausing s he reached down to his boot for the money. "Uh, Yuiren's 'bout five or so? I think. Why?"

He quirked a brow, not understanding the note of alarm in the monk's voice.

"Children can be clumsy, no da. Porcelain is fragile, and if she accidentally breaks it, she'll cry, no da."

Tasuki frowned, looking between the doll and Chichiri. "But, but she'd be careful," he said hopefully.

Chichiri looked back at him sympathetically. The rough and tumble bandit could be such a softy.

"Even if she's very careful, she's still a little girl, no da. I'm sure we can find another doll with red hair, no da."

Tasuki sighed and nodded, disappointed that his first choice had been a bad one. "I c'n get her two; one for her to play with and one for her to have when she's older." He grinned and turned back to look through the other dolls.

"Good idea, no da."

Chichiri watched Tasuki pick up doll after doll, inspecting them as if he were buying a precious gem. He loved this little girl, perhaps more strongly than he could feel about anyone around his own age. It made the monk smile.

He basked in the sunlight, the bustle of the festival, and the excited laughter of the children as they ran past the stalls. Parents shouted for them to slow down, but their voices were tender. This country was full of good, hard-working people like these, and he wanted nothing more than to protect them. For that, they'd need the wishes bestowed upon Suzaku no Miko at the completion of the summoning. It was a lot to ask a young girl like her, but in the brief time he'd known her, Chichiri thought he could detect the noble spark necessary to sacrifice a wish on behalf of others.

Tasuki smiled wide as he lifted a doll for Chichiri's inspection. It was well made, yet durable enough for a small child, and had brilliant blue hair. "How's this one? Got yer hair color so's she knows ya helped pick 'em out."

Children rushed past, bumping into people as their parents chased them. One little girl, following her brothers, fell down near Tasuki's feet. He stooped down and helped her up, "Ya okay?" he dusted her off and pulled a copper coin from his boot which he tucked into her kimono. She nodded up at him with wet eyes and hugged his leg before dashing off in the direction her brothers had gone.

He smiled as he watched her go, then realized Chichiri was standing there. "Heh, kids." he grinned again, his hand scratching the back of his neck.

The monk cocked his head to the side with a smile.

"You're a kind man, Tasuki-kun, no da. I'm glad the forest-witch didn't eat you before I got a chance to meet you, na no da," he quipped.

Tasuki looked away, a small grin on his face. "Nah, I ain't kind. I steal for a livin'; that ain't kind, Chiri-kun. That's actually kinda mean. But, I'm glad I didn't get eaten neither, that woulda been kinda uncomfortable."

He looked back at the vendor, "How much for both?" he asked, holding up both dolls.

"Two silver ryo and three copper." The vendor responded, handing a mother a black-haired doll for her daughter.

Nodding, Tasuki grabbed out the money and handed over the coins. "Wrap 'em for me, they're presents."

He looked over at Chichiri, a grin on his face. "Now we gotta get somethin' else for Chuei. Can't give Yuiren two presents an' Chuei only one!"

"Think he'd go for a hunting knife? Or maybe I should get him some wood working tools..." he thought for a minute, and then grinned wide. "I got it! I'll get him some sake!"

"Anou... isn't Chuei-kun a little young for sake, no da?" Chichiri said with a sweat drop.

The doll-vendor carefully wrapped the porcelain doll in layers of soft rags, and then slipped the other doll into a bag with it. Lastly, he threw in a small bag of multi-colored star-shaped sugar candies in honor of the festival.

"There ya go, enjoy," the vendor said.

Tasuki took the bag, giving the vendor a smile before he turned a confused look to Chichiri. "Ya mean there's an age limit on sake?" he shrugged and wandered along to another stall. "I figure Chuei's 'bout the same age I was when I first had sake, but I figure Tama'll initiate him into drinkin'."

He gripped Chichiri's wrist and pulled him to a smithy. "Arright, so, instead a sake, how's about we get 'im a few knives? Like throwin' knives. I'm pretty good with 'em so I c'n teach him to use 'em. That okay fer a kid?"

Tasuki looked up at the round man who worked the bellows, "Yeah, gimme four good trainin' blades and two wrist sheathes. Make 'em small, they're for a little boy." He looked at Chichiri and grinned, "Not gonna stop me this time? Good!"

"Gotcha," the smithy said, picking his teeth with a twig.

"He seems old enough, no da. But you might want to run it past Tamahome-kun first, no da."

He knew that they weren't on the best of terms, but their love of those kids were the one thing they seemed to truly have in common.

Tasuki stuck his tongue out at Chichiri. "No, it's gonna be a surprise. After all the trouble them kids saw and lived through with them demon things, I think Chuei at least should know how t'fight back."

He argued with the smithy over price, growling when the man asked for six silver when they were only worth four. After a few minutes of argument, they agreed on five silver. Tasuki paid with a grumble and grabbed Chichiri's wrist again, dragging him back towards the palace. "Ya gotta come with me, Chiri. Yuiren'll wanna thank ya for helpin' pick out her doll."

"Anou!" Chichiri faux-protested, while a sweat drop army formed on his head.

Trailing behind Tasuki again, Chichiri smiled to himself. Konan was full of good people, and he was honored to be chosen to protect them.


	26. Chapter 25

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Eiyou Palace

Ten armored guards surrounded the simple carriage, a small crest of the Kutou Imperial Army emblazoned on the side in rich blues and greens.

Nakago rapped on the roof of the carriage, signaling the driver to halt. The carriage swayed to a stop amid the calls of the driver, and Nakago opened the small door enough so that he could glare at the men assembled around the carriage.

"Six of you will stay here until I am inside the palace. Then you will move in and set up a perimeter. Do _not_ be seen. I can't have a bunch of bumbling idiots ruining these peace talks. The remaining four will accompany me to the palace. No one is to talk to the other guards or palace members beyond asking for food and other mundane chatter. If I even hear a rumor of a rumor that our presence is not as it seems, I will have all of you at the end of the hangman's noose. Do you understand?"

The guards nodded, six of them pulling back to stand guard over the hill leading down into the city itself. The remaining four took up cardinal points around the carriage and waited for the signal to resume their journey.

Nakago nodded and closed the door, rapping once on the roof for the driver to continue.

The city was turned out in full regalia; a festival in his honor was beginning to get under way, streets were decorated with colorful banners and every denizen was dressed in their best.

It made him sick.

These fools would see very soon that things were not as they seemed. The child Emperor was too trusting, too young, too unskilled in the art of war to not realize that this was a suspicious visit. Not long after the miko showed up in their country a rival country decides to 'spontaneously' offer peace talks? Did the child not see the danger of allowing the enemy into the very heart of their country?

He glanced over at the monkey sleeping on the seat opposite him, his wild card should things not go as planned.

The carriage trundled up to the palace gates, pausing briefly to identify themselves. The guards nodded and eagerly opened the gates.

This was far too easy.

The guard in the front position left their place to announce his arrival.

Things were going well for now, time would tell if the child Emperor had smarts to go along with his dashing good looks and youth. He doubted it, but would never underestimate an opponent.

_Soon, young miko, soon..._

As the early morning sun began its trail towards the heavens, Tomo frowned at the casual display of celebration for their visit. How stupid must these people be to celebrate the birth of war? Such a simpleton this young Emperor was!

Leading the Kutou entourage, Tomo watched as the towering gates to the palace reared up, surrounded by colorful flags and the center of festivities - a series set up like a bazaar of tables, each catering to the simplistic tastes of the crowd. Watching the children run through the crowd with banners of red and blue, he wondered what awaited such innocence. Was the entire country so blind from peace?

Stirring his horse towards the guards awaiting at the gate, he wondered what Nakago was thinking of the crowds and festivities. Could it be that he was thinking that these ignorant fools were blind as well? Probably more, Tomo mused as he approached the guards, bidding entrance. The steed reared up as he yanked back the reins, Tomo gracefully in control. He refused to smiled at the guardsmen, his voice stern as he called out.

"The Kutou ambassadorship arrives!" he yelled, stirring his horse around once with vigor. "Open the gates!"

The guards nodded once, signaling to the troop that was operating the gate as it swung open slowly, beckoning entrance.

Nuriko, after a moment to freshen himself up, made his way towards the main gates as Hotohori-sama had requested. Shielding his eyes from the glare of the sunlight as several Kutou soldiers entered with the carriage carrying the ambassador. Gracefully making his way over to the doors of the carriage, Nuriko looked at the guards, noting one of them seemed ill-suited for soldiership, his pale skin strangely foreign to Konan. Even the Emperor wasn't that pale!

Watching as several ranks of Konan guards assembled themselves, making a pathway for Nuriko straight to the carriage, he smiled. Hopefully it wasn't whom the gossip was implying as the ambassador, the General of the Kutou armies. Nuriko far favored someone not as serious.

Before the doors to the carriage, Nuriko beamed. "Good morning your ambassadorship."

Nakago glared coolly down at the bowed purple head of hair. How idiotic; the child Emperor had sent a woman to greet him? What next? A visit to the Imperial Harem?

"Good morning, lady. Where is the Emperor? I was told that he would meet me so that we could begin our peace talks. Has he changed his mind?" he stepped out of the coach, realizing that this lady reached just to the underside of his chin. Either she was an Amazon or she was an okama.

He kept an eye on the seeming female as he called to Tomo, "Bring around my bag, I would like to freshen up before I meet the Emperor."

Nuriko thought surely his clothes would signify him as a man, yet the General seemed to think otherwise. Maybe women in Kutou dressed like men? No way.

Smiling, Nuriko watched him through the fake emotions of joy plastered on his face, studying the General and cautious. Rumors had it from Kutou that the General was a seishi of-

"His Highness is in a meeting currently, your ambassadorship," he nodded, beckoning towards the shade of one of the outer buildings. "He has asked that I show you to your quarters since you have had quite a journey, I hear."

Watching as the lead Kutou guard struggled with a large bag, Nuriko took the bag from the guard with one hand.

"Hey watch it!" growled Tomo, "I can carry-"

"The ambassador will be staying in the extra guest quarters in the outer sanctum with the other guards. His Highness has requested that the ambassador be shown the highest respect for his stature."

Tomo glared, then hid his feelings as he turned to the other men. "Let's go as the servant of Konan's Emperor requests." He wanted more than anything to be out of the glare of the scorching sun.

And something seemed to bother him about the man-woman. For a brief moment, he could feel the string of heavenly tensions between him and the servant. He would need to investigate this more thoroughly - as soon as he got a well deserved bath.

Nuriko beamed. "Shall we?"

Nakago nodded once, allowing the man-woman to lead him through the palace halls. Two children scrambled past, one a little girl with royal colors and the other an older boy in the same colors.

Raising a brow as an old woman chased after them, Nakago turned towards his escort. "Lady whatever your name is, when did the Emperor marry? I see children wearing royal garb. Perhaps you can introduce me to the Empress while I wait for the Emperor to make time for me." This was his chance to push for information. No matter how many spies he sent, none seemed to be able to bring him news of the Emperor himself. Maybe he could pump this wom-ma- err, person for information about the priestess. It was rumored that the Emperor had declared to one of his older advisors that he would only marry the priestess when she came.

That didn't explain the children, but perhaps this un-named lady-guy could fill him in.

Nuriko glanced over at the ambassador, his eyes musing over his appearance. There was something sinister about him, he decided as two children scrambled past them, an older woman chasing after them.

"Oh! My name is N-" he stopped suddenly, realizing he had almost blurted off his seishi name. "Ryuuen Chou and no, the Emperor hasn't found anyone suitable for marriage." Nuriko could feel his fists tightening at the thought of the Emperor's subtle rejection.

"Everyone is getting dressed up for the dinner tonight in your honor, your ambassadorship." Nuriko beamed, thinking of His Highness all dressed up, sitting at the head of the table telling everyone of his un-abiding love for Nuriko and that he would be his wife. Blushing, Nuriko walked gracefully through the hallway through the guest quarters and stopped at a pair of beautifully arranged double doors.

"Here is your quarters, your ambassadorship." Nuriko said, pulling open the doors with enough tact to realize he'd forgotten his strength. Creaking on its hinges in protest, the doors flew open, hitting their limit as one of the doors nearly stumbled off its hinges. Sheepishly smiling, Nuriko bowed to the ambassador in sincere apology. "Sorry, I seem to forget how easily these doors open."

Walking in, Nuriko asked. "Where would you like your bag?"

Nakago raised a brow at Ryuuen, slightly surprised at the male's strength. He had no trouble lifting the bag that held all of his armor. Quite a feat for such a small and delicate looking man. "Set it in that corner, by the window if you don't mind."

Nuriko nodded, smiling as he carefully set the bag in the corner by the sun filled window. The day was perfect so far, everything going as Nuriko wanted. Blinking, he decided not to worry too much about the ambassador's true job and possible status.

Nakago eyed Ryuuen, "I've noticed that the people of Konan seem to be doing well. What does your Emperor intend to do if your priestess does not come in his lifetime? It is a well-known fact that he has no intentions of marrying anyone but the Suzaku no Miko. Will he allow his line to die if she does not appear here?"

He wanted to keep Ryuuen in that room gathering every little piece of information that he possibly could.

Nuriko raised an eyebrow at the General's eagerness to discover the Emperor's love life. Shrugging his shoulders, Nuriko grinned, trying to hold onto the fact that he couldn't speak of Miaka.

"Suzaku no Miko will arrive sooner rather than later, I'm sure," Nuriko said softly. He had to keep his cool and not mention Miaka or the other seishi.

Nakago closed his eyes for a moment. She was here. The Miko of Suzaku was here and this man knew it. His mannerisms gave him away. "Perhaps. Though I've heard of several men claiming to be seishi for Suzaku have been pillaging villages. Three were reported to have stolen a princess of a neighboring demi-kingdom. If those are the men that serve your god, perhaps it would be best if Kutou does not talk peace, and instead discuss war."

Nuriko held back his shock, eyes narrowing and all trace of friendliness disappearing from his face. Was this man talking about Tasuki? Wait, no, it was more than one man! Nuriko could feel his temper flaring. "Why do you insult me with talk of war? Is talk of seishi so threatening to your country when-" he paused chewing on his lip as he tried not to confirm his fears of the general being a Seiryuu no Seishi, or even something worse.

Nakago smirked at Ryuuen's turned back. Aahh, yes. That was the temperament he was looking for. If he could anger the slighter man into revealing more than he should, it would make gathering information much easier. Also making it easier to form plans from within to stop them from summoning their god. "Talk of seishi is not threatening to my country, but if Suzaku condones violence towards unarmed children and women, then this country is a threat."

Nuriko could feel the blood burning in his veins as the ambassador spoke of Konan being a threat. "Suzaku does not condone violence!" Nuriko snapped, his fists clenching as he turned to face the General. "You came here on the subject of peace talks, ne? Or are you so blood thirsty for war that you hope these talks fail? Please do not speak to me of such violence! And I know for a fact my brother s-" Nuriko gaped as he realized what he'd said, his anger turning to shock. Unclenching his fists, Nuriko eyed the man, his gaze trying desperately to peer through the general's demeanor. "I-I've said too much and it's not my place. Please allow me your leave, Your Ambassadorship."

A seishi was he? Interesting. "Forgive me for angering you with my penchant for believing the worst of everyone. My country is not very well liked. We are bred to suspicion, I forget at times that other countries are not the same," he bowed low, offering an apology.

"You may leave whenever you wish, I hold no sway over you. Thank you for your candor and help, Sir Ryuuen." He walked to the window, looking out at the children playing with the old woman.

Nuriko sighed. Hotohori-sama was going to hang him for sure after the summoning. All thoughts of the requisite dinner with His Highness and much of everything else seemed to vanish as Nuriko rubbed his forehead. "Please don't call me sir," he tried to force a sincere smile. "I'm sorry I got carried away there. If you need anything let the servants know. I will have His Highness call for you as soon as his meetings are over." Nuriko eyed him a final time before sighing and heading out the doors.

***

Keisuke closed the door to the Emperor's bedchambers excruciatingly slowly. He took in a deep breath. Then he brushed the dust out of his hair from the ton of bricks the serving woman had just dumped on him. Not only did he get an earful for entering the Emperor's room without permission, but Miaka wasn't there. Not just not there, mind you, no, she wasn't even in the palace. She was at some festival in town - who knows where doing god knows what. Did she _want_ to get into trouble? No, that was too simple, she must really want to drive him to an early grave.

He imagined himself gulping down an entire keg worth of sake marked "Miaka's Stupidity", passing out dead, and waking up in heaven with a beautiful woman on each arm. Then he'd look down on his weeping sister whose only words would be: "I'm so sorry, nii-chan! It's all my fault!" She'd throw herself on his grave and hug his tombstone, and everyone else would shake their heads.

Rubbing his fingers against his scalp in aggravation, Keisuke wandered down the hallway. Should he go after her? Did she even take anyone with her? What if she got mugged? Or killed? Or MOLESTED!?

"Dammit, Miaka!" he shouted.

In the dead silence that followed, he looked up. The servants averted their eyes and walked away.

Tetsuya had been trying to teach the kitchen staff how to make toast. The key word was "trying" because the staff either didn't really understand the concept behind toast or didn't care. In the end, he'd ended up with a half-loaf of bread that was blackened and crumbling on the outside and warm but mainly-intact on the inside. He'd tried to additionally explain that the bread should've been cut into smaller slices, but by that point the head cook had had enough and politely but firmly told him to get out.

So it was that he was wandering along the corridors, nibbling on a half-loaf of not-quite-toast and wishing he'd had a chance to grab a cup of tea before he'd been expelled from the kitchens. As he neared a corner, Keisuke's shout came echoing down the corridor. Tetsuya paused, processed the tone first and the words second, decided it wasn't anything too urgent, and continued along the way.

"Do I want to know?" he asked as he rounded the corner and approached his friend.

He doubted the question really mattered--whatever had happened, Keisuke was sure to tell him, if only out of frustration.

Keisuke raked his fingers down his own face, elongating his eyes, then his cheeks, and finally letting his hands rest at his sides.

"Miaka isn't here. She went out to some festival hours ago."

He silently chided himself for sleeping for so long, but who'd have known she'd up and leave like this after everything that had happened? He gripped his forehead and tilted his head back when he felt a headache coming on. The ceiling stared back at him with disinterest.

"Why does she keep doing this? Doesn't she understand how dangerous this place can be? I swear, she's going to give me a coronary."

"Keisuke..." Tetsuya began, but he paused as he tried to think of something reasonable to say. The whole "protective big brother" act could be grating, even if it was understandable. "Keisuke, I think she has a pretty fair idea of what's going on and what danger she's in. But you know her, you think she's the type to let that get her down?

"And more importantly," he continued, gesturing with the blackened half-loaf of bread, "do you think she's really stupid enough to go alone without an escort? I'm willing to bet she took at least one of the seishi with her." He grinned crookedly. "I wouldn't be surprised if she'd dragged them against their will into town. You know how she is."

"She just recovered from a boatload of injuries," he responded, "That... thing is still wandering around, and I don't really know any of her seishi... except maybe Houjun-san and... Kourin-san."

Kourin was a strange woman, and he wasn't entirely sure that he felt comfortable leaving Miaka with her, but at least she wasn't one of those child-molesting bandits.

He sighed.

"Aren't we supposed to be getting out of here soon anyway?"

The thought didn't bring him as much pleasure as he expected. This world, full of violence and magic, was alive in a way their world never seemed to be. Perhaps it was because they'd grown accustomed to the everyday miracles in Tokyo, but there was also the fact that, well, nothing as extraordinary as being teleported through a hat ever happened in Japan.

Slowly, he came back to himself, and it was then that he noticed that Tetsuya had some burnt bread in his hand. He sweat dropped.

"Is that breakfast?"

Tetsuya expressionlessly looked down at the black lump in his hand. After a moment's contemplation, he looked back up and said, completely deadpan, "It's a culinary experiment that went wrong. It took on a life of its own, and if nothing's done soon, it will grow to mammoth proportions and begin devouring everything in its path. The only way to stop it is to subject it to human digestive juices while it's young."

And with that, he tore off a piece with his free hand and took another bite. Almost as much scorched starch dissolved between his fingers as ended up in his mouth. Definitely not filling. Or healthy either. Maybe he should have grabbed the sweet bean buns instead? Heaven knew those hadn't been mucked up by him--they'd been prepared by the kitchen staff.

"'Here' as in out of the palace or out of this world?" he asked, frowning pensively at the bread.

Keisuke wrinkled his nose at Tetsuya's choice of meals.

"You do this for the good of us all," he returned.

"Out of this world - back home, back to our real lives."

"'Real lives,'" Tetsuya said dryly. "I like that phrase. I know what you mean, but that doesn't make anything that's happened here any _less_ real."

A sigh was the monk's indication that he'd arrived. Even simple teleportations were proving difficult around Ji-hime. He'd ended up on the far side of the palace, and, not wanting to take another chance, had to walk the entire way. The halls were practically bursting with servants preparing for the night's meal, and there was many an 'excuse me', 'I'm sorry', and 'um...' before he was rid of them.

With one final push he emerged from the hallway and his forward momentum carried him until he managed to stop himself. When he did, he looked up to see the two men from the other world, conversing idly. He'd almost forgotten about them in all of the chaos that had ensued over just a few scant hours.

"Keisuke-kun, Tetsuya-kun, good to see you both well, no da. Have you seen Miaka-sama, no da? I sent her to meet with Ou-kun, who I assume is in the library na no da."

"The library? We heard she went to some festival in town," Keisuke replied.

"She was there with Tasuki-kun, but I called her back to talk to Ou-kun, no da. I still believe he's Chiriko, and we're trying to convince him of that, no da."

Keisuke's shoulders relaxed and he let out a long breath. Maybe he could let go a little, let the others take care of Miaka. She seemed to be in good hands after all.

"Maybe you'd like to check out the festival yourselves, no da? I know you'll be going home soon, but it will give you a taste of our culture, na no da. If you're worried, you can take Kaen-san, no da. She isn't invited to the feast tonight anyway, no da."

This new idea rattled around in Keisuke's brain and he decided he liked the sound of it. He looked to Tetsuya with the unasked question on his face.

Tetsuya glanced at Chichiri when the monk stumbled out of the brief--but sudden--press of bodies. He chose to stay out of the conversation, instead contenting himself with listening quietly and finishing off the last of the bread. A slight grimace crossed his face as he forced himself to swallow the last of the...well, it tasted like ash more than anything. He really should've gotten some tea to wash the taste out of his mouth. Even water would be welcome now.

His expression smoothed back out just as Keisuke turned to him. Tetsuya didn't need to be a mind reader to know what Keisuke was asking; the question was written all over the other boy's face, plain as day. He lifted one shoulder in a shrug, smiling slightly. "Might as well catch some of the local sights while we're still here. We weren't paying much attention when we passed through the city on our way out to find your sister. And you can invite Kaen-san along, if you want."

_Even though I can't picture her out in town._ He gave that mental comment an extra moment of thought before amending it. _Actually, I can, she just doesn't seem the type to enjoy being amongst a crowd._

A big grin plastered itself across Keisuke's face. He walked past Tetsuya and clapped a hand on his buddy's shoulder. He leaned in conspiratorially, but he barely bothered to lower his voice.

"Great, I'll look for Kaen-san, and you can handle the money," he said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The next second, however, he was dashing away as quick as his legs could carry him.

Chichiri stood there with a sweat drop as he watched the boy run.

"Does this happen often, no da?"

Tetsuya watched, his face carefully impassive, as Keisuke scampered away. Even so, he wondered if there was a giant sweat drop rolling down the back of his head like there was in an anime. He looked at Chichiri and nodded gravely. His voice was level and serious when he spoke. "Yes. All the time. He goes off to find women while I figure out the money."

He paused. Unfortunately, this wasn't their original world, so there was a bit of a tangle here. "But I doubt that the local vendors will accept currency from our world. As much as I hate to say this, can you lend us some ryou? I can't promise to pay you back later because, well..." He gave a small, crooked smile. "Terribly sorry about this. I'll understand if you can't."

The monk wasn't entirely sure how to react. Mostly he just stood there while an awkwardness flew past them.

The people from Tokyo... are sure strange, no da.

"Ah, that's right," Chichiri said, digging into the void in the small bag he kept on his belt, "You don't have any of the currency from our world, no da."

He handed Tetsuya a handful of coins - enough to last the night with some leftover. Chichiri himself rarely kept money on his person. The life of a monk was much simpler, and he tended to rely on the kindness of strangers in his travels, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to access money when he needed it.

"Enjoy yourselves, no da. We'll be turning in after the fireworks, and tomorrow morning I'll let you know what's been decided about the summoning, no da."

He bowed.

"I should really get to dinner, no da. No telling what might go on without me, na no da. Have a good evening, no da.

He was about to teleport to the banquet hall, but thought better of it as he recalled his dunking in the pond, and his bout with crowd-diving. Instead, he simply walked.

***

Miaka wandered through the palace gardens, the feeling of relief from being with Tamahome slowly dissipating. She kept trying to push it from her mind, but Tasuki was all that she could think about.

_Get a grip, Miaka. He said he needed to think. You _**_know_**_ what that means. Just get over it._

The palace grounds were rather sparsely populated today. Aside from the guards and the usual servants hurrying around, most of the palace residents were in town at the festival. She had the garden to herself for the moment.

"Cheer up!" she said aloud, patting her face. Kicking off the difficult shoes, she spun around a little trying to take in the smell of all the flowers around her. With a heavy sigh she flopped over onto her back in the grass, surrounded by peach flowers.

She picked one, holding it up to her nose to smell it. She let her gaze trace the sky, watching the few clouds move around. She tried to pick out their shapes. A rabbit, a bear, an airplane... She closed her eyes, sighing again.

_Stupid Miaka... Why'd you have to go and fall for Tasu-chan?_

The sun on her face warmed her and she felt so comfortable that she began to drift off.

Nakago looked around the room he'd been given; it was spacious, beautifully decorated, large bed draped with silks... all in all, it made him sick. How could such a small country waste their money on such things as silk hangings on their beds? The hangings and paintings served no logical purpose in his mind and so were deemed useless.

He had changed from his riding clothes into his usual blue tunic, the crest of Kutou emblazoned on his chest. Not being one to nap, he decided to roam the palace, his monkey perched on his shoulder. It seemed the little primate had escaped Tomo, he would have to talk to the painted one later over this lack of attention.

He wandered the halls for a little while, occasionally stopping to look at a statue or wall hanging to snort in disgust. A maid giggled and followed him around, seemingly too caught up in his good looks to notice that he was glaring at her. "Where can I find the nearest gardens? I want out of this infernal palace."

The maid pointed him in the direction of the gardens.

He stepped out into the warm sweet scented air and breathed a sigh of relief when the maid didn't follow.

He noticed a small form laying in the grass and wandered over. The form was of a young woman, beautiful auburn hair dappled with peach blossoms, rosebud mouth, and an exotic curve to her brows. "Hello, my lady."

The sound of a mans voice made her eyes blink open. Miaka looked up to see a beautiful man with long blond hair standing over her. She smiled at him, sitting up.

"Hello. Sorry, I didn't think anyone else was out here."

She brushed her hair back, trying not to look quite so disheveled. The man was dressed in deep blue colored clothing with an unusual symbol on the front. She looked him over, trying to gauge what sort of person he was.

"Are you enjoying the festival Mister...?"

"Please, call me Ayuru, my lady." he said with a gentle smile, clasping her hand and bringing it up to his lips for a soft kiss. Her ki felt familiar, like that of the Lady Yui. Perhaps this is the girl she had been searching for so desperately.

She looked well; skin a healthy pink, hair bound up beautifully, lavish clothing... she looked well cared for. "You speak with an accent, Lady. I beg your pardon, where are my manners?" he lifted her to her feet, flashing a charming smile. "I am Ayuru Gi, a guest in this palace from far away. And you my lady? What is your name?"

Miaka flushed as his lips touched her skin. He had an elegance about him that only Hotohori matched. She rose to her feet with his assistance, glad she didn't have to struggle in front of him in the foreign dress.

She slipped her shoes back on, trying to appear lady-like herself.

"My name is Miaka Yuki. I suppose you could also say I'm a guest here."

She smiled at him, holding the flower she'd plucked in her fingers. He seemed kind enough, well mannered at least. Not like a certain bandit she knew...

"You must be from very far away, you're the first person I've seen with blond hair in a long time. Are you the emissary from Kutou everyone's been talking about?" She was blunt, but honest, trying to learn more about the man. Maybe she could sway him from war without needing to use one of her wishes.

Smart as well as beautiful. Interesting.

"Yes, I've come from Kutou to talk peace with your Emperor, Lady Miaka. Tell me, what is a lovely lady doing out in the gardens when there is an enjoyable festival going on outside?"

He noticed the bloom in her hand and closed his eyes, scanning the gardens with his energy to find the perfect blossom. He intended to woo the little miko into his trap, surely flattery would get him what he wanted. She was far too trusting and innocent to suspect him of anything but sincerity.

He stepped behind her, plucking a peach blossom from the ground where she had lay. It was perfectly bloomed, the petals only partially opened. He held it out to her, a dashing grin on his face. "Perfection for the perfect, Lady Miaka."

She took the flower from Ayuru, blushing bright red. Perfection?

"I'm hardly perfect..." she stammered, accepting the flower and placing it in her hair.

"I was enjoying the festival earlier but decided to come back. I have other duties, can't have fun all the time." She grinned, realizing her words were more true than she knew.

She looked up at Ayuru, examining his face. Blue eyes; something else she hadn't seen in a while. She looked deep into his eyes, trying to sort out his intentions within their gaze. She realized she was standing very close to him and backed up a bit. "I'm sorry, I don't know much about Kutou. I've never been there. What's it like?"

"My lady surely jests. Your duties should only include being your beautiful self. As for my country, it is not as sweet and peaceful as this one. War is held in the highest regard, but the people grow weary of constant battle. Hence my presence here. Our Emperor is getting old, he does not have the stamina to keep up a long campaign. Peace is easier."

The words curdled in his stomach, tasting foul on his tongue. But, he would keep to the appearance of wanting peace. His plans could not go forward if anyone suspected his true motivation for being here.

This girl, woman, miko was his only priority. He would gain her trust and then, his plans would go forward.

Miaka blushed more. The man in front of her was so formal and elegant. She hadn't felt more out of place than she did in this moment. She needed to act like a lady.

"You really think women don't need to be anything but beautiful?"

Her voice came out a little more harsh than she'd intended, but her point was clear. The man might be polite for this world, yet the ongoing attitude that women couldn't do anything was frustrating her. It was like talking to Keisuke!

"I don't mean to be rude. I hope for the sake of both countries that peace can be reached," she smiled sweetly at the man, trying to be polite.

A butterfly flapped its wings, lifting off a flower and coming to land on Miaka's hand. "Oh! How pretty!" She stuck her tongue out at the butterfly, imitating it.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to fly like that? Suzaku grants a lot of power to the Seishi but I've never seen anyone with the ability to fly." She put her hand to her lips, realizing she probably shouldn't talk about it. "Er, I'm sorry, I really shouldn't talk about, that should I?" She tried to think of how to make it sound better.

"I haven't even met all the Seishi. Not important enough, I guess. The Miko is very lucky to have so much protection."

She was spirited, too. That alone gave her more merit than the other morons in this country. "I never said that a lady's job was only to be beautiful, I but gave the standard answer when nervous in the presence of an attractive woman. No offence toward the attributes of the feminine mind were intended, Lady Miaka."

He smiled kindly, hoping she would accept his apology. The effect was broken when she blurted out that she knew the seishi, her cover for her blunder was ineffective and lame. Not quite as intelligent as he'd given her credit for.

Pity.

"Yes, I would imagine she is. Have you met her? I hear she is a bit of a crybaby and that she has no care for anyone but herself. Pity, really, a miko should be someone like you."

This would be one explosion of confused emotions he would not miss for all of the world.

"Crybaby!?" she tried not to explode, keeping calm.

_Remember Miaka, act like a lady. Like royalty!_

"A bit of a crybaby, yes, but not selfish! Except maybe when it comes to food..."

Wait! Why was she telling this guy about her bad points? She couldn't talk herself up too much or she'd seem conceited if the truth came out. But now she'd gone and confirmed that the Priestess was in Konan after all, which wasn't any good. All this political trickery was making her head hurt.

"That's what I've heard about her. You'd probably do better asking the Emperor these questions. If anyone would know her, it would be him."

She looked past the man at the people bustling about, yet staring at the two of them. She took a step backwards, yet found herself tripping on her dress again.

"Iyaa!" she shrieked as she felt herself topple backwards.

This girl was laughable, seemed she liked to admit her faults to strangers. "I would if he would see me." he admitted and cocked his brow at her, wondering when she was going to lift the back of her dress so that she could turn around.

When she made no move to adjust her clothing he stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her small waist. He looked down at her with slight surprise; he never went out of his way to help anyone yet this girl... Damn the power of the Suzaku no Miko! She was obviously expending a signal with her ki that begged for the protection of others. He would be more careful to shield himself from unwanted emotions in future deals with her.

He straightened up and tried to step back and away from her but the spur of his boot caught in the hem of her dress, pulling her closer to him and knocking him off balance. He spun mid-fall, pinning her beneath him with one arm around her an the other cupping her head to keep her from harm.

Sweet Seiryuu! He was still under her spell! He must escape her power soon, else he begin to feel anything except for the ice that flowed in his veins.

"Are you okay, Lady Miaka?"

Miaka felt his hands go around her waist, catching her before she hit the ground. His hands were strong, holding her waist tightly but without hurting her. He held her in a way similar to Tasuki; the difference was the affection in the grip.

Before she could reply he tripped as well. She closed her eyes and fell on her back with a thud in the grass. When she opened her eyes again she was looking right into his. Ice cold blue eyes that seemed to mask his intentions.

He still had a hand at her waist, the other bracing his fall just above her head. Anyone walking past would think they'd interrupted a pair of lovers caught in a passionate moment in the garden.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to knock you down with me. I'm so clumsy..." she was blushing furiously, embarrassed by her position beneath him and for falling down again.

Her ankle throbbed. Those stupid shoes combined with her natural clumsiness were a dangerous mix. Ayuru's face still hovered near hers. "I think I twisted my ankle..." she whispered.

_Oh gods! I could just die of embarrassment!_

Nakago closed his eyes and sat back. "Allow me to look for you," he sat back on his knees and lifted her foot into his lap. His monkey chittered and plucked at her shoe, "Yes, shoe must come off. Go get bandages, Fingers."

He willed the image of bandages in his bag into the monkey's head, and watched as it chittered happily and ran off to do his bidding. "Pardon me for falling on you Lady Miaka, I was trying to keep you from falling and made a mess of it by allowing my spur to get caught up in your skirt. Once Fingers returns with bandages, I'll wrap it for you. For now, allow me to look at it and be sure it isn't broken."

He waited for her blushing nod and raised her skirt to her knee, smoothing his fingers over her ankle. Had she not been the Suzaku no Miko, or a lady of Konan, he might have been enticed by the delicate turn of her ankle, the smoothness of her skin, the embarrassed and sweet blush that colored her cheeks.

"Does it hurt here?" he asked, moving his fingers up a bit more to just below her calf.

She couldn't object and getting him off of her was most important. If anyone saw them like this...

Miaka lifted her leg up gingerly, wincing when he touched her ankle.

"Y-yes, that's where it hurts. I'm fine, really."

She looked in the direction the monkey had gone, wondering why she hadn't noticed the little creature hiding in his hair before.

"Are there many monkeys in Kutou?"

***

Nuriko trudged through the hallways, deep in thought as he made his way toward the meeting room. He had said too much with the Kutou General - so much that Hotohori would certainly not forgive him. Now Kutou knew about the gathering of the Suzaku Seishi. Nuriko couldn't bear to think of the atrocities he had committed by speaking of his fellow warriors.

_Thank Suzaku that Miaka's with Tasuki and Bandit-chan and the others are off and away. I wouldn't want that Kutou shogun to be anywhere near Miaka-chan.___

Opening the door slowly, Nuriko poked his head in, looking around. It seemed the meeting was nearing a end. Walking in, Nuriko bowed gently towards the Emperor and announced the arrival of the Ambassador.

"Your Highness, the Ambassador has arrived and been shown to his appointed room. I sent the Kutou guards to an outer guest residence." Taking a deep breath, Nuriko gulped. "If I could, may I speak with you privately for a moment?"

Nuriko could feel the tension in his heart beating against his chest and he struggled not to freak out. Could it really be that the information the Shogun had received would launch an all out attack against Konan? Nuriko knew he would be the sole bearer of the blame, and it was something he could not push harmlessly aside. Would Hotohori-sama forgive him?

Hotohori tried to look gentle, hearing the stress in Nuriko's voice make it waver. "Of course, I think we're finished here."

He stood up, and the advisors did the same. "Gentlemen, thank you. Please go and enjoy the festival. When we are finished I'll have Nuriko let the Emissary know I'm ready to see him."

The men scurried out of the room, somber as usual. The frog-faced man stopped only briefly to give Nuriko an odd look before continuing on his way. When the room had emptied Hotohori shut the door and sat again.

With a kind smile and wave of his hand he motioned for Nuriko to come sit beside him again.

"You look concerned, Nuriko. Is the Emissary upset for some reason? Or did something more serious happen?"

Nuriko rubbed his head as he settled in the chair next to Hotohori-sama, glancing at him with a forced smile. How would he break it?

"I met with the ambassador and uh-" he shook his head, his smile fading, "He found out that the seishi are being gathered."

Just as he was about to ask what to do, a maid clambered into the room, bowing quickly. "Your Highness, Ryuuen-san, The ambassador is... is..."

Nuriko stood, his hands trembling. Could it be the start of war already? His mind raced, desperately clenching to the most difficult reasons. "What's wrong?"

"H-he's with the Suzaku no Miko."

"I see..."

Hotohori sighed heavily. Nuriko couldn't have intended to spill the secret of their soon-to-be-attempted summoning. No, the man he was going to meet with was probably there strictly for the purpose of gathering information.

Peace was a ruse.

The knock at the door distracted him briefly, until the maid indicated the Ambassador was in contact with Miaka.

"Thank you, you're dismissed." He waited for her to leave.

"Don't be too rash, Nuriko. I'm sure it was an accident that you told him. However I do think that I should meet with him now. The dinner this evening will go on as planned. I should like to have Miaka, Tamahome, Chichiri, Chiriko and yourself present. The bandits and the drunken doctor... I can't trust them to behave at the moment."

He nodded, gesturing to the door. "Bring the Emissary here as quickly as you can, but don't let him sense you're in a panic about his being near Miaka."

***

Nuriko was hurrying, trying not to appear distressed at the thought of Miaka near the Ambassador. What if she revealed she was the Suzaku no Miko? No, he would have to trust her no matter-

BUMP

He ran smack into something. Dusting himself off he offered a hand to the victim, who had not faired as well.

"Damn ya, Nuriko!" Kouji snapped, flustered as he gripped the outstretched hand. "Look where yer goin!"

"Sorry Bandit-chan!" Nuriko giggled as he remembered his mission to go get the ambassador. "Erm, excuse me while I go get the Ambassador away from Miaka. I don't want either of those two near each other."

Kouji flinched at Miaka's name being said. He'd been wandering the palace to try to settle his erring emotions from erupting and the simplistic reminder that she had just a short while ago expressed her feelings to Genrou sent his feelings unedged.

"Mind if I go with ya?" he asked, trying to remain as calm as he could, "I need to talk to Miaka anyways."

Nuriko glanced over at him and nodded. "Sure, you can follow me, but please don't speak to the Kutou Ambassador. Too much about Miaka and the seishi have been said already."

Kouji nodded and followed Nuriko's brisk pace, matching it as his own. He wondered what was going on; weren't ambassador visits normal? Why worry about Miaka and the others?

As they reached the gardens Kouji felt himself collide with Nuriko's back again, flopping back haphazardly. Yelping, he looked up at the stopped figure of Nuriko and followed his gaze towards the strangest sight.

A blond man in the blue colors of Kutou was holding Miaka's leg in his hand, both of them prone on the ground. Kouji could feel tension rising; not only in his own frame of mind but in the moment itself. Why was this guy molesting her leg?

Nuriko was the first to speak, clearing his voice as he bowed. Kouji's gaze remained down as he listened.

"Excuse me, your Ambassadorship," Nuriko said, neither smiling nor snarling, "The Emperor requests your presence."

Kouji sprang into action, climbing up and walking over, offering a hand to Miaka, trying to get her away from this new person as quick as possible. Eyeing the Ambassador, Kouji frowned as he turned back to Miaka.

"Yer alright, Miaka?" he asked, kindness in his voice, trying to block out the painful memory of hearing her confess her love to someone else. "He didn't hurt ya, did he?"

Nakago gripped the man's wrist, stopping him from pulling Miaka to her feet. "She's injured her ankle, bandages are on the way. Do not try and make her stand."

He took a long, hard look at the man trying to touch Miaka; bandit-esque apparel, messy dark hair, scar on one cheek, coarse language, and the fires of jealously burning in his eyes. Interesting. Perhaps he was a spurned lover. From the girl's body language he could tell she wasn't comfortable with his touch.

Very interesting.

Ryuuen mentioned something about the Emperor but he brushed it off. "I will stay until the bandages are firmly on her ankle. Part of the reason she fell was my doing. I will remedy that. Your Emperor can wait until this girl is cared for."

"I'm sorry," Miaka sniffed, trying not to burst into tears. "I tripped and then Ayuru-sama tripped and we both fell. I'm so embarrassed..."

Miaka touched both Kouji and Ayuru on the hand, separating them. She knew Kouji's hot temper all too well and this situation couldn't explode in a fight. Hotohori would have to call for his head just to appease Kutou!

She felt a twang of guilt, lying about her visit to Kutou to this man. He seemed to be honest with her. She couldn't reveal herself, though.

"Ow! Careful!" she winced as his grip on her foot shifted.

Kouji winced as the man gripped his wrist trying to pull him away. Feeling the long fingers curl and tighten, constricting, Kouji let go of Miaka's hand, his eyes widening. First Genrou and now some guy Nuriko was calling an Ambassador!? How many guys was she going to throw herself at in order spite him?

Twisting out of the foreigner's grip just as Miaka touched both of their hands, Kouji's eyes narrowed. Kneeling down he checked her swollen ankle and the man's firm grip on it. Even if she was injured, Kouji was not amused by a Kutou spy touching his Miaka.

Nuriko sighed. The day seemed to be only getting worse by the minute.

"We will wait for her to get bandaged up, but then you must go with me to meet the Emperor, your ambassadorship."

Nakago nodded to Ryuuen, indicating that he understood and would comply. He loosened his grip on Miaka's ankle in reaction to her cry. "I do beg your pardon, Lady Miaka."

The monkey rushed out into the gardens and over to Nakago's side, bandages in paw. Nakago took them and wrapped Miaka's ankle swiftly and surely, as though he'd done so many times on the battle field. "You should see the palace physician to ensure that nothing is broken, Lady Miaka, but from what I can tell it's merely sprained."

He ignored the bandit for the time being, still working out how to fit that in with his plans. "Sir Ryuuen, take Lady Miaka to the infirmary and I will have this gentleman take me to the Emperor in your stead. I would like to speak with him for a moment."

Motioning to the monkey to follow Miaka, he turned to Kouji. "Care to escort me, Sir Bandit?"

Miaka patted the monkey on his head, a thank you for the help. She grabbed Nuriko's hand, getting to her feet. She put her weight down on the sprained ankle but found it too painful to put as much weight on as usual.

"Thank you, Ayuru-sama," she bowed, then wrapped an arm around Nuriko for support. She hobbled off, waiting for Kouji and the blonde man to disappear from her sight before sighing.

"What a nice man. I hope he and Hotohori-sama can agree on peace." Miaka smiled at Nuriko, oblivious to the potential trouble she could have caused.

Nuriko helped Miaka up, watching as Kouji and the ambassador walked towards the inner sanctum of the palace. He tried to hide his worries over what could possibly go wrong with a Kouji/ambassador or a Kouji/Hotohori-sama interaction as he forced a smile. What could be any worse?

"You shouldn't be around him much, Miaka," Nuriko piped up as they slowly made it towards the infirmary. "He's Kutou's main general. Why they would send him, I have no idea. But he's bad news."

Smiling towards her, Nuriko patted her on the head. "Don't worry though! Things will hopefully go smoother as we prepare for the summoning. Just don't speak of anything that shouldn't be said, okay?"

"Bad news?" she chewed on her lip, trying to figure out why such a nice man would be bad. "He was so gentle with me, though. She touched the flower in her hair, smiling at the memory of his words.

"He said I was beautiful. It felt nice, especially after Tasuki..."

So much for keeping her mind off of him.

"Oh, Nuriko! I made such a fool of myself." She hugged Nuriko tightly, knowing that he could share in her feelings of unrequited love. "I told him I was in love with him. Why did I tell him such a stupid thing?"

She wiped her eyes, trying to keep the pressure on her ankle light.

"Love makes you do crazy things, Miaka," said Nuriko softly, remember the previous night with His Highness. Blushing for a brief moment, Nuriko grinned. "I'll have a talk with him, Miaka. I'll set him straight. He's probably confused or something - most bandits are as I can tell," he giggled, patting Miaka very gently on the back.

"I need to go find Ou. Can you help me to the library? Sorry to burden you with all of this."

"Okay, Ou, you said?" Nuriko remembered the boy and what Chichiri and Hotohori-sama had spoken about in the morning. Maybe he would actually get a crack at the boy, right? He smiled as he shook his head and winked at Miaka. "No worries! You are not burdening me at all!"

***

Kouji watched as a monkey tore out to the gardens with bandages, offering them to the strange ambassador (who was getting weirder by the moment) who then used them to bandage up Miaka's ankle. Crossing his arms, frowning, Kouji leaned against one of the trees near the scene as the Ambassador asked Nuriko to take Miaka to the infirmary.

Hiding his dismay at not being able to go with Miaka, Kouji nodded slowly, then turned and started walking towards the inner parts of the palace.

"Why are ya here?" Kouji asked solemnly, wishing he was anywhere else. "You look like yer not from around here.

Nakago ignored the questions put to him by the bandit, "She means something to you, yes? The girl, Lady Miaka, she means something to you. You can put away the jealousy, bandit, I am not here to dally with children. I am here to discuss peace with this country. Yet, I find myself intrigued by this seeming one-sided desire you carry for the lady."

He paused for a moment in the hallway, looking around in search of others listening in. Finding none, he leaned close to the bandit. "What would you say if I told you that one of my men can promise Lady Miaka will return your feelings by day's end? Would you be interested?"

A smirk lifted the corner of his lips, as his eyes darkened. "She can be yours, bandit, if you allow my man to help you. Think about it. If you want his help, ask for Tomo in the outer ward."

He smirked and wandered off, leaving Kouji to stare at his back and think over the proposition.

Kouji could only stutter and stare after the man as he left him in the hall alone. An empty promise, he was sure. No one could make someone else love them. Right?

***

Hotohori sat at his desk, waiting patiently for his guest to arrive. He was worried about Miaka. For her to be in the company of the Kutou ambassador was dangerous indeed.

A tap at the door brought him out of his own head and back to reality.

"Enter."

A dark haired maid poked her head in, "Excuse me, Highness, there is a tall blonde man by the name of Ayuru Gi here to see you. He says he is the ambassador to Kutou. Would you like me to show him in?"

She bowed and waited for his reply.

"Of course!" He waved at her and the door swung open. The maid bowed low as the guest moved past her and into the room. The doors swinging shut again, leaving the Emperor and his guest alone but for the presence of his guards behind him.

"Ayuru Gi, it is a pleasure and an honor. I've heard many stories about the blonde shogun from Kutou, though I'd hardly believed it to be truth."

Nakago bowed politely, "The honor and pleasure are all mine." He straightened and produced a sealed scroll from his tunic. "This is the offering my Emperor has asked me to impart to you."

He set the scroll on the desk and stepped back, wary of the guards and not wanting to seem too forward.

"That really isn't necessary," he smiled, offering the shogun a seat. With a gentle hand he lifted the scroll looking it over.

"So Kutou is willing to talk peace after all these years? Or is this just some clever plan to see if the rumors of my beauty were true?" he laughed a little at his own joke. "I heard you were becoming quite friendly with another of my guests. I trust she was polite?"

Nakago took the offered seat, not wanting to be rude. "Yes, the Lady Miaka was a joy to be around. Though I do believe she is injured; she tripped and then I tripped over her. Nothing too terrible, just a sprained ankle. Ryuuen is helping her to the physician."

He nodded to the scroll, smiling politely at the joke, and crossed his ankle over his knee. "That is the contract that will bind our countries in peace. I am here to negotiate any changes you wish to make."

"Lady Miaka is indeed a treasure. I'll make sure to check on her ankle later, thank you."

His face became serious, needing to focus on the task at hand.

"Negotiations may take some time, as I'm sure you're aware. I am of course offering you stay at the palace for a few nights. Tomorrow may be a busy day with little time for negotiations, depending on what we accomplish here today."

Nakago's brow rose, but he didn't comment on the postponement of negotiations. "As you wish. I shall entertain myself with Lady Miaka's presence while I await your leisure." He got to his feet and bowed again. "Take the time to look over the contract before beginning negotiations. As ready for peace as we are, we do not wish to rush into something as monumental as this. I shall retire for the day, by your leave."

He waited for his dismissal, the cogs in his brain working to figure out what could be more important than peace agreements with his country. Surely they were not ready to summon their God; it was too soon! They had barely had several weeks to find all of them.

Perhaps, they had been searching for seishi before she arrived? Hnn, he would prompt Tomo to glean answers from the bandit's mind when he saw him next.

"Perhaps you've misunderstood. I would like to begin negotiating but I would like a run down of what your country expects of Konan. Our requests are simple, but vital to the survival of our country."

The idea of this man spending more time with Miaka made Hotohori's stomach turn. He nodded to the scroll. "If all your demands are contained within I would be happy to have you go over them with me." He held out the scroll for Ayuru to take and read, making the negotiation official.

Nakago nodded, taking the scroll and rolling it out. He read over the main points of the peace contract, highlighting on some of the finer points when prompted.


	27. Chapter 26

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Eiyou Palace

Tamahome nearly skipped over to the doorway. Two passing maids nodded to him and he smiled back. The world seemed painted in bright yellow. He passed the doors to the different chambers of the palace and decided after much searching that he should ask someone where he would find the volunteers helping out with the festival. A kind woman pointed him in the proper direction and he hurried off to go surprise his children with presents for a good days work.

He smiled at the thought 'his children'. He supposed they were his now. He had become a father before he had ever had a chance to fall in love and marry someone. When he did find that one person, they would need to be ready to be a parent sooner than most people would like. He sighed, hoping that he could find someone who loved his new children as much as he did.

Tamahome peeked in a few doors and found nothing more than fancy rugs and tables. With the fifth door he tried, he finally got lucky. He smiled when he saw them, but his heart almost burst from another coincidentally wonderful sight. Yuiren and Chuei sat at a low table along with a few other children making brightly colored lanterns and paper stars as expected, but Yuiren was seated in Ji's lap. The latter was holding two pieces of blue and green paper together as Yuiren concentrated hard at folding them properly.

A sweet smile eased over Tamahome's entire body as he stepped in the room.

"I thought this was a private party," he kneeled down and whispered to both Ji and Yuiren.

"Onii-chan!" Yuiren squealed and flung her arms around his neck, forgetting the folding entirely and knocking over the small pile of paper stars she had made.

Tamahome held her with his good arm and smiled at Ji.

It had been hours since Miboshi walked into this room full of tiny, grabby, human spawn, and she'd been forced to smile and pretend to enjoy making useless paper products for a pointless festival. Yuiren and Chuei, as openly trusting as their brother, bought every kind word, every gentle touch, and every effort to help.

Sou finally arrived, and she never thought she'd be so happy to see him. This was, after all, part of why she'd come here in the first place. Forge bonds with the brats and emerge a shining example of future motherhood to Sou - in return for his devotion and protection should anything go horribly wrong.

_And it had better not._

"Sou! Welcome back," she said, smiling serenely, before she began scooping the little monster's mess up. Chuei lent her a hand. She shot him a grateful smile.

_It had better not._

Tasuki drug Chichiri through the palace halls, checking every room he could think of in an effort to find Chuei and Yuiren. Hearing children's laughter and Yuiren's voice calling out to her brother in particular, he clamped a hand over Chichiri's mouth. "I'm gonna show ya what bein' a bandit is all about. Be quiet an' watch," he whispered into Chichiri's ear before letting go and vanishing around the corner.

He watched the scene for a few minutes, a smirk lifting the corner of his lips. Tamahome sat between Ji and Chuei with Yuiren on his lap.

Perfect!

Gathering up a bit of energy and shoving it into his legs, Tasuki dashed out and grabbed Chuei. He ran back to Chichiri and handed him the boy and darted back to goose Tamahome into letting go of Yuiren before vanishing again with Yuiren in tow.

Chichiri stared at the bewildered chibi-Tamahome. Chuei stared back.

"Ah, sorry about this, no da," Chichiri said, setting him down on the ground.

Tasuki stood behind Chichiri for a moment, a smirk on his face. "Let's go, Kitsune-chan. I got my 'loot,'" he said, indicating Yuiren, who was happily hugging his neck, and Chuei, who was wearing the same sour look his brother would get when unsure about something.

He smiled and took Chuei, balancing him on the opposite hip from Yuiren. "So, where is th' best place t'hand out presents?"

Before the wind in his wake had settled, Tasuki was back with Yuiren, and before Chichiri could protest, he'd lifted Chuei into his arms as well. Suzaku, he hoped Tamahome didn't find out about this.

"The courtyard is nice this time of day, no da."

What was he saying? Why was he helping in this harebrained scheme? Once the old wet-nurse realized they were gone, they'd be sure to send someone out after them, and then he'd be caught up in having to explain why they'd kidnapped Tamahome's siblings.

"I should really go check on Miaka-sama and Ou-kun, no da," Chichiri blurted, "I'lljustbedoingthatnow,byebye,noda!"

He made a mad dash to get away.

Tasuki set Chuei down and calmly grabbed a handful of the monk's robe, stopping him from escaping. "Nah, yer gonna come along, Kitsune-chan." He dragged the monk behind him as he directed Chuei towards the first open garden entrance that had no signs of people.

Setting Yuiren down, he looked Chuei over for a moment, then grinned and pulled the presents out of his tunic.

Chuei looked down at the leather bound bundle while Yuiren squealed and hurriedly tugged at the strings holding her present closed.

Tasuki knelt down and helped Yuiren untie the package, easing it open so that the dolls didn't crash to the floor. The little girl's tears were not something he really wanted to see.

"Cousin! Dollies!" she cried loudly and flung herself at Tasuki, wrapping her small arms around his neck.

Tasuki grinned and hugged her back, lifting her into his arms as he turned to see what Chuei thought of his present. Chuei looked the knife set over with wide eyes. "What is this for, Genrou-san?"

"Yer nearly grown, na? Time to learn how t'fight. I'll teach ya how t'use them. They're throwin' knives an' the leather things are wrist sheathes. We c'n start learnin' when yer brother says it's arright."

Despite the heart-warming scene, Chichiri was on edge. He supposed it was probably a good idea that he was here, because when Tamahome found them... Well it was safe to say that they might soon be the Suzaku six.

If he knew where Tamahome was, he could speak to him directly. Through an object or--

He felt something snake around his ankles. It burst his dazed thought-bubble and nearly knocked him off his feet.

"Da!"

When he looked down, it was only a little white cat, smiling up at him sunnily.

"Kitty!" Yuiren said, pointing, "Look, cousin, it's a kitty!"

Tama mewled in response. Yuiren giggled.

"Niao!" she said to the cat.

Chichiri took a quick look around, and not far from their spot, Mitsukake was sitting on a rock with his gaze out over the water as the day drifted by. It was amazing how nicely he'd cleaned up. Tama called to Mitsukake and caught his attention. Chichiri motioned for him to join them, and the lumbering hulk of a man made his way toward them.

Chuei examined his gift. The cool weight of the metal felt good in his hands. Ever since the attack, he'd been wanting a way to defend what was left of his family, and here it was. He smiled up at Tasuki.

"Thank you. I'll ask him about it when I see him again. Um, speaking of that... Won't nii-san be a little upset that you just took us out here?"

***

"I brought you something spe...."

She was gone. Tamahome froze. She was gone. And Chuei. Gone. From right out of his arms.

He blinked just to make sure he wasn't going crazy, but the weight had left his hip and there were no children of his to be found. He put his hand over the spot where he was just holding Yuiren and turned to Ji with a look of utter confusion.

"They _were_ here right?" he questioned lamely, but didn't really wait for her answer.

Tamahome jumped up and ran to the door, looking down the hall in both directions before choosing one randomly and hurried down it, shouting their names. How could he loose them from in his arms? He sped up his frantic search, not finding them anywhere.

Vaguely irritated that she would now be forced to move, but thankful for the respite from 'family-time', Miboshi stood and followed Sou out of the room. It would've been much more effective to split up, but then she'd have to put actual effort into finding the little annoyances, and why in the world would she do that?

So instead she kept close by Sou, which was in itself a task as he was running around frantically. She opened and closed doors, called out their names in the tones of a worried older sister or mother, and pushed her body to a bit of perspiration just to show her dedication to the cause.

_Kotenbo. Saburo. The brat children, I want you to look for them._

No need.

What?

Miboshi fought to keep the frustration off her face. If the tengu weren't such useful companions, she'd seriously consider banishing them to a parallel universe full of nothing but shrimp.

_They are here. Courtyard._

"Sou! Let's check outside," she paused and leaned up against a wall to catch her breath, "If someone took them..." she trailed off, "Maybe the guards have seen them."

Tamahome glanced around, confused for a second at who was speaking, his mind lost in panic. He shook off the pounding sound of his heart and looked down at Ji. He nodded in agreement to what she had said. _Yes, outside. Better make sure they don't leave the safety of the palace.  
_  
"Good idea."

He tailed her out to the gardens, where he saw both his siblings, talking pleasantly with Chichiri, a large man he didn't recognize, and the culprit; a bright red hair-ed target of pure Tamahome hate. He narrowed his eyes.

"Tasuki…" he growled low in his throat.

Of course it could have been any of the others. The monk had magic, and the big guy had brute force, but Tasuki was the only one he knew with speed. He stalked over to where the men and his siblings stood, angry flames in his eyes.

"Tasuki," he said a little too sweetly, even though he looked like he was about to tear out of his clothing and beat his chest, "Can I talk to you for a moment? Over there?"

Tasuki turned and smiled wide at Tamahome. "Heya Tama-chan! What do ya want? Can't ya see I'm tryin' to talk to Chuei 'bout them knives I gave him? He's gotta talk to ya before I teach him how t'use them, so I gotta wait for ya t'show up... oh. Heh, guess yer here. Okay, let's go talk!"

He put an arm over Tamahome's shoulders and grinned obliviously as he wandered over to where Tamahome had indicated. "So, I really wanna teach him to use them throwin' knives. He needs t'know how to defend himself, ya know? After all th' troubles the kid's seen, it's only fair, na?"

He rattled on for a moment, completely unaware that he was about to get a Tamahome style beating.

An increasingly tighter vein popped out on Tamahome's forehead as he led Tasuki over to where the others couldn't see. Five more steps.

"Knives?" he growled between clenched teeth.

Three more steps.

Pretty, soft, pink petals and dark branches blocked them from view.

There.

A fist interrupted Tasuki's rant about teaching his kid, his NINE YEAR OLD kid, to throw knives. He grabbed Tasuki's collar and produced a large plank of wood out of nowhere, then began beating him repeatedly over the head.

He emerged from behind the bushes, satisfied and clapping off the dirt from his hands. A bumpy, Tasuki-shaped mush left behind.

He knelt beside his siblings and took out the gifts he had bought them.

Chichiri sighed as Tamahome took Tasuki off to the side, then sweat dropped when he returned triumphantly and Tasuki did not. He hoped it wouldn't escalate beyond that, and they could all go back to business as usual. Now that their brother had returned, Chichiri found a good opportunity to take his leave.

"Excuse me, but I should go check in on Miaka-sama and Ou-kun, no da. Ja!"

He flung his kesa off his back, wrapped it around himself, and disappeared before anyone could protest.

While the others were distracted, Myo Ju-an crouched near Yuiren and watched her gently pat Tama-chan on the head. The cat responded with a content purr, and he smiled lightly.

When the monk vanished, it took him a moment to blink the daze from his eyes, but the aqua-haired man returned and set reality straight again. He rose to his full height and watched the exchange between the siblings.

"Nii-chan, is cousin okay? Look, he got me dollies!" she said, holding up the red-haired porcelain doll with one hand and the softer, cheaper, light blue-haired one in the other.

Ju-an's gaze drifted to the young boy, about eight or nine, with his arm in a sling, then back to his older brother, with a near identical injury. He didn't have a clue what happened, and by all rights it would heal on its own, but he couldn't stand to see a child suffer right in front of his eyes.

"Can I take a look at that?" he addressed the boy directly.

Tasuki twitched from his position on the ground, a mass of bumps and bruises decorated his head and he had absolutely no idea why.

Well, he had SOME idea. He just didn't want to admit it.

He pulled himself to his feet and staggered out from behind the trees and bushes, a glare on his face. "Oi, Tama-fuckin'-home! What th' fuck was that shit about?!" he growled as he stalked over and grabbed two hands full of Tamahome's shirt-front, glaring down into the other man's face.

He growled, punched Tamahome on top of the head, and shoved away. Stomping off to sit beside a tree, he glared at Tamahome for a moment before ignoring him completely.

Yuiren looked back and forth between her nii-chan and her cousin, confused about why they were mad. She looked at her brother and tugged the hem of his tunic. "Onii-chan, why is cousin mad at you? Did you do something bad?"

Tamahome barely had time to frown and suppress a growl about the identical toys Tasuki had gotten his kids when he came out from the bushes screaming and complaining.

When he was hit on the head, Tamahome almost jumped after him, but Yuiren tugged at him and asked her question with large worried eyes. He frowned, torn.

"It's not that we're angry at each other, we're just playing," he smiled and patted her head. "I have something special for you too," he said, genuinely smiling at the thought of giving them presents.

Tamahome could feel glaring eyes burning holes into his head.

_Let him brood._

"There's a few sweets and kites for both of you." He smiled as he handed out the gifts. "I know it's not a _knife set_, but I hope you like it. You and Yuiren could fly them with me sometime after the summoning." He saved the best for last. "This, Yuiren, is for you," he said, pulling out a pretty doll with long black hair and silky red robes.

"Onii-chan, I love you!" She flung her arms around his neck and it was only then that he glanced at Tasuki. He stuck his tongue out at him, pulling down his lower eye lid, and grinned.

After a sweet moment of a long hug, she let go and he held out his arm for Chuei who had been looking up at the large man, curiously. His eldest younger sibling gladly fell into the embrace and thanked him.

"Is it ok if he takes a look at my arm?" Chuei asked, pushing back from the hug.

"Of course." Tamahome stood up and regarded the larger man. "I don't know what you can do for him though. We've already had a healer sprint it."

Mitsukake knelt before the young boy, and Chuei offered up his injured arm. Gently, he undid the pin which kept the sling in place. The red kanji tattooed upon his palm began to glow, emanating a tingling soft light. As his hand traveled the length of Chuei's arm, instantly the bones beneath the skin mended. When he finished, he let the boy's arm down.

Chuei watched the man tend to his wound. The strange red light was warm and comforting, and when it was all over, he went to move his arm, and he felt no pain at all. He flexed his fingers and rotated his wrist. Like a wave summoned up from his toes, joy filled his body, and he looked up with a genuine smile for the first time in days.

"Nii-san, it's completely healed!" he declared, before turning back to the doctor, "Thank you," he said politely, "Thank you, sir."

Myojuan nodded and got to his feet without a word. Tama climbed up onto his shoulder and smiled.

Ji was sufficiently impressed at the Suzaku-blessed healer's ability to make any injury cease to exist within mere minutes. Truth be told, Miboshi herself gained just the slightest bit of respect for the man. A power such as that...

No matter. Heal them all he wanted, they would still one day die. This man had to know that. She was growing weary of this distraction, but pretenses called her to the stage once more.

"That was... that was amazing. Truly, Suzaku has given you his blessings. Would you..." she trailed off and glanced at Sou, "Sou broke his arm while protecting me," she said.

Both of her delicate hands came to rest on the doctor's brawny forearm.

"Do you think you could take a look at it? I... We'd be so grateful," she pleaded.

All Ju-an could think was: Damn. The lady was fine. No doubt some imperial consort, or something like that. Maybe he could ask for a favor in return...

He shook his head and walked over to the teal-haired man. He examined the near-identical wound, and in like fashion, spread the healing wings of Suzaku over his arm.

Tamahome had watched in wonder along with Ji, this man was more than just a doctor.

"What's your name?" He asked as the man started to heal him.

There was a warm, comforting sensation throughout his arm and up into his chest. In his mind he could see the bone mending. In just a short time, the glow receded and Tamahome tested the elbow.

"Myo Ju-an," Mitsukake said simply.

He'd taken care of the injury, and now his eyes feasted upon the princess. Unfortunately, she'd fastened herself to this guy's side. Maybe she was his wife or something. It didn't seem likely though. He didn't have the look of a rich guy.

Yuiren reached out for Tamahome's arm.

"Nii-chan is fixed!" she said gleefully, "Me next!"

"You have nothing to fix, Yuiren." Tamahome laughed at her naivety and bowed down to pick her up.

Ji smiled warmly and gave a soft chuckle at Yuiren's request.

"Thank you, Myo Ju-an," she said to the doctor. He had a lecherous look in his eye, which knocked him back down to the insignificant status all of the Suzaku seishi, save perhaps the monk, currently occupied.

"Thank you." Tamahome said to Myo, "But with that mark, don't you have another name?"

He pointed at the kanji in the middle of Myo Ju-an's hand.

Mitsukake pulled his hand up and examined his palm. The kanji was fading slowly, but it still burned.

"Mitsukake," he said, "That's my celestial warrior name."

Tamahome smiled and offered out his hand, balancing Yuiren on his hip.

"Tamahome, nice to meet you."

He caught the way Mitsukake was staring at Ji and he took a step towards her, putting his now healed arm around her slim waist.

"Ji-hime is the only one who insists on calling me Sou."

Yuiren studied the placement of her brother's hand. Her brow furrowed in concentration.

"Onii-chan? Is Nee-san your wife?" she asked excitedly, "She's very pretty. Nee-san, will you be Onii-chan's bride?"

Tamahome stiffened immediately, pulling his hand from around her waist and over Yuiren's mouth. A nervous laugh and an intense blush exploded from him.

Ji gave another good natured chuckle at Yuiren's innocent questions, then she smiled up at Sou.

"Tamahome, huh?" Mitsukake said, "Try not to get hurt again. I've got enough trouble with those bandits the Emperor keeps making me heal."

He made as if to leave, but Yuiren begged to be let down, and then toddled after him. She grabbed onto his leg.

"Heal me too!" she demanded, in her tiny voice.

Mitsukake looked back and down at the girl attached to his leg. He turned and crouched before her. She didn't have any injuries, as her brother had said, but he made the kanji upon his palm glow warmly in front of her face. She giggled.

"It's warm!"

He smiled, patted her on the head, and headed for the palace doors.

Ji watched him until he was nearly out of sight before speaking. "What a nice man..." she paused, "Would you rather I call you Tamahome?"

Tamahome turned to her and thought about it.

"I guess that's how everyone has been addressing me, but still..." he smiled down at her. "I like having a name that's just for you."

"Oniiii-chan," Yuiren bounced at his feet. "I'm all healed, and it's warm. Suzaku-dono is the best."

"Good for you, Yuiren-chan," Ji said warmly.

Seiryuu, it'd be good to get these pains in the neck out of the way. There'd be far fewer interruptions for one thing.

She poked Sou in the ribs.

"And I told you to just call me Ji, didn't I?"

Tamahome squinted one eye and rubbed his ribs, laughing.

"I usually do, but I didn't like the way that guy was looking at you, so I thought I'd let him know you are a princess."

"He was looking at me strangely?" she feigned.

"Nee-san."

She felt a tug on her silk sleeve, and it sent irritation bristling over her skin. She smiled down at Yuiren.

"What is it, Yuiren-chan?"

"Will you play dollies with me?"

"Of course, sweetheart, but we should go inside, it's getting late."

"You can be this one," Yuiren said, handing her the red-haired one.

Suppressing the urge to snap the doll with a strange likeness to the bandit's little porcelain neck, she smiled.

"Oh, Sou, we were going to ask you when you returned, but then there was so much commotion… The children want to go to the Star Festival to see the fireworks. Is that all right with you?"

Tamahome smiled at Ji. The way she treated the children was more than anything he could possibly ask for.

"I'd be more than happy to take all of you."

His happiness couldn't be suppressed. It was like an answered prayer. Out of the ashes of his life came his goddess, Ji. She was perfect in every way. After the summoning took place, he would ask her to come back with him. They could all live a simple life on another farm somewhere far away from where both their families were ended and begin a new one. Yuiren, Chuei, Ji and him. They would be a family after this was all over. He just had to get enough money to purchase a small house. A shack even. It won't matter how they live at first, as long as they could all be together.

His eyes were shiny and distant, thinking of the prospects of his family's future when Yuiren tugged at his jacket again and raised her arms to him smiling.

"Onii-chan is the best. Hooray for Onii-chan and his pretty princess bride!" she shouted to the garden triumphantly as he scooped her up in both his arms and flew her high above his head.

Yuiren screamed in giddy laughter as she was caught and cradled gently back into his arms. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and held his hand out for Chuei. The oldest of his younger siblings hesitated before taking his brother's hand, but gave in to the outstretched fingers smiling.

***

Scurrying through the palace grounds, two maids were collecting flowers for the Shogun's dinner party. Taking a stroll through the courtyard for a brief chance to relax, they paused, resting in the shade of a large tree.

"Mei, did you see the Shogun earlier?"

"Nnn, Pei-Pei, but I heard that he's here for a reason other than peace talks!"

Tasuki grumbled as he heard female voices sounding from the other side of his tree. He was about to get to his feet and go somewhere else, but mention of the Kutou ambassador caught his attention.

Mei fanned herself with the bundle of flowers she carried, looking wistfully towards the party. "He's very handsome, tall and blonde... No wonder the Priestess was all over him."

"All over him? I heard it the other way around! He's going to marry her to secure peace for Konan and Kutou!"

"Really? But what about the summoning?"

Pei-Pei shrugged, "I guess she won't bother. She seemed enamored with him anyway."

"A far cry from the bandit who foolishly threw himself at her, I'll bet. What was his name... Kenji? I suppose she decided to go for someone with more breeding and grace. A smart choice, to be sure."

"The Shogun seems to like her, though. Did you hear? He tried to..." her voice dropped to barely a whisper, "...take her. In the garden!"

The girls shrieked, amused by the very idea of a dashing stranger forcing himself on one of them.

"Did he... you know?"

"No, no, he stopped when one of the seishi interrupted. She must have been injured though, and she let him touch her bare foot and leg to bandage her! He's not even a doctor, you know."

Mei gasped, "He touched her bare leg!? No wonder they would get married! Would his majesty really marry her off to Kutou?"

"What choice does he have? I think the Shogun is eager to 'make her his', if you know what I mean."

The girls wandered away from the tree in a fit of giggles.

Tasuki's eyes grew wider at every rumor that was spouted, angry about the mention of anybody touching Miaka. Especially her bare skin! Her _LEG_ and her _FOOT_ in his BARE HANDS?!

Oh **HELL NO**!

He stormed out of the gardens, bypassing everyone. He screamed Miaka's name as he rampaged through the palace halls. "GODDAMNED ONNA! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

***

Miaka held onto Nuriko tightly, keeping the weight off her injured ankle. How foolish to have tripped like that, knocking the ambassador down on top of her. She could see servants near by whispering as she passed. Her cheeks began to feel hot again.

"Thank you for helping me, Nuri-chan." Her voice was soft, nervous, unlike herself. She wasn't sure what to do next.

"I think Ou might be in the library. I heard he was studying, I think." What bad luck! They had exams in this world too.

Nuriko nodded and grinned as Miaka gripped on tightly. "No problem, Miaka!" he said, as he thought about what was happening while Kouji mingled with the Ambassador. The thought sent a shiver down his spine as he imagined Hotohori being forced to leap into the fray to stop Kouji from beating up on the Kutou Shogun.

The pair stumbled along slowly, gradually making their way to the library. Several scholars were hunched over scrolls at large, long tables inside. Ou wasn't easily seen.

"Hmmm where is he? OUUUUUUUU-KUUUUUUUN? ARE YOU IN HERE!?" Miaka's voice bounced off the walls, making it even louder than normal. A wave of angered scholars turned her way with a 'SHHHHHHHHHH' that knocked her over.

Blinking and shocked, Nuriko gently knocked her on the head, frowning. "Don't go yelling in a library! Geesh, I would've thought you were raised better!"

Several of the Scholars glared at him too, making Nuriko smile nervously.

Ou finished the last stroke of his practice essay and set it aside. He'd felt lucky in convincing a previous examiner to proofread his work before the real thing. Picking up his ink stone container, he peered at it, trying to see if he needed a new one. This innocent-looking action turned out to be very fortunate for him, as the shout of a girl calling his name threatened to scatter his work to the twenty-eight constellations. Had his stone actually been on the table, it would have likely ruined his last page.

As it was, all he did was bobble the ink stone for a bit. Wondering precisely who would know who he was, he poked his head outside the cell. Looking around for a bit, he didn't see anyone he recognized. Considering there was precisely one girl in the area, and she looked like she had just been whacked for disturbing the silence, Ou suspected that she was responsible for whatever it was that had rattled his papers.

"Ahhh sorry." Miaka bowed to everyone, then gestured for Nuriko to follow her. Her ankle hurt like crazy but she needed to get to the back and find Ou. She had to summon Suzaku so that they could go home!

How else could she forget about Tasuki?

She peered around the corner into the private study area the boy had taken over. With a grin, she spoke. "Hiya! Thanks for helping me last night. Miaka Yuuki, from Tokyo, remember?"

"Oh, yes!" He'd been fooled by the change in dress, but this was definitely the same girl from the strange land. "I've been trying to do a little research on your kingdom, but there's nothing here about it in the records."

Ou fidgeted a bit, not quite understanding what she was doing here, and the eyes of the scholars, feeling like their sacred sanctuary had been violated by outsiders, (and even worse, women) only increased his discomfort.

"S-so, what can I do for you?"

"This is going to sound strange but..." Miaka leaned in to whisper in his ear, "It seems you're one of the Suzaku seishi."

She looked around, making sure they weren't being eavesdropped on before continuing. Scholars were quiet, but it didn't mean they weren't nosey.

"I guess that Hotohori-sama and Chichiri think that somehow I'll be able to help you figure it out, but I'm not entirely sure what I'm supposed to do. Chichiri would be more help, but I'm not sure where he is."

Nuriko watched the interaction between the two. How could the boy not realize that his gifts were most likely from Suzaku? For all it was worth, Nuriko felt the tingling urge to bonk the boy on the head, but kept to himself in fear of Miaka getting upset.

"Where is Chichiri-san, anyway?" asked Nuriko, looking around. Didn't the monk want to help or was this an opening for Nuriko to step in and take charge?

"Hrm? What are you talking about?" Ou was confused by the girl's statement. "Suzaku wouldn't be so unwise as to choose a child as a Celestial Warrior. Sure, maybe when I was younger, when every child dreams of being one of the chosen, but we get over it. It wouldn't make any sense. I'm destined to be a Scholar, not a General."

Miaka folded her arms over her chest and frowned. Was the boy just being difficult? Or did he really not know? If it hadn't been Chichiri to tell her, she might not have believed it either. Still...

She put her face inches from his, sniffing his hair. She sniffed all around him, then came to a dead stop. "Well, you don't smell like a warrior. All sweaty and reeking of sake," she winked, "But Chichiri is usually right about this sort of stuff."

She looked him over again. "You really don't know, huh? The other seishi all have powers. Nuriko has incredible strength, Mitsukake was able to heal me, and besides being incredibly frustrating, Tasuki has that speed. Do you have any natural talents?"

Ou shrugged. "I'm not strong, fast, or able to do anything like that. All I can do is study well and read. That's not much of a talent to have, since everyone else can learn how to do it, too. My parents were just very good at teaching me how, and maybe I have a small knack for books and writing, but that's it. The most I can hope for is to pass the imperial exam well enough that I can get a good position and support my family."

Ou shrugged and looked away at the paper on his desk. Much to his surprise, one of the lines he had written was highlighted in red ink. _Learning is a great skill._ Ou blinked, and the red line was black again. Puzzled, Ou returned his attention to the women in front of him.

"I'm can't be Chiriko. No star fell outside my house, no voice from the heavens declared me to be a child of the God. I'm nothing more than a boy studying to be a scholar. I don't even have a Celestial Mark." He pointed at the spot where the monk had looked, on his foot. "The monk said it would be there if I were. Nothing then, and nothing now."

As he pointed, Ou's eyes passed over the paper again, where another red line was forming, an addition to his essay, in beautiful calligraphy. _I chose a child to be my priestess. Why would I not choose one to guard her?_ This time, when Ou blinked, the red line stayed. He rubbed his eyes, and the line persisted. He stepped over to pick up the paper and study it more closely.

As Ou moved towards the paper Miaka's eyes were glued to the spot on his foot he'd pointed to.

"Look!"

The soft red glow coming from his slipper made her point wildly at him, hoping Nuriko noticed it too.

Then she caught on to the look on his face, staring at the pages. "What is it, Ou?"

Nuriko smiled, seeing the glow as well. But Ou was concentrating on something else entirely. "What are you seeing, Ou?" he asked, taking the chair across from the boy.

"This." He turned the paper outward to show both of the women. The red line underneath the parchment glowed softly, acknowledging the presence of the two before it.

"Could you read the line in red for me? I'm pretty sure that I've fallen asleep at my desk or something, but just in case this isn't a dream, would you please tell me what it says?"

"Ano... I can't read Chinese." Miaka pouted, wishing that in this moment she could be of some use. There was still a sense of relief. Ou was Chiriko, the last of the Suzaku seishi which meant she could summon Suzaku after all!

"I chose a child to be my priestess." Nuriko read softly, eyeing the writing. "Why would I not choose one to guard her?"

"Looks like Suzaku picked you after all," he smiled, watching the words glow fiercely as he ran delicate fingertips over the smooth lines. Pointing towards the boy's slipper, Nuriko winked. "Look, you have something glowing on your foot now. Kind of like I got one up here." Nuriko pulled away the hemmed line of his outfit, revealing the symbol for 'willow' glowing faintly. "You may be only a boy, but were born with a purpose. Maybe your intelligence is a gift from Suzaku like the gift of strength is for me."

"How wonderful!" Miaka squealed, drawing angry glares from the other scholars.

Reaching down, Nuriko took Ou's palm, pulling him up gently. "Come on, let's find Chichiri and the others!" he said, quietly, "I'm sure they'll be excited to finally meet you!"

Ou looked down at the gentle glow coming from his foot. "This doesn't make any sense," he murmured, "But until I wake up, I may as well go with it." Ou set the paper back down on the desk and began to roll up his supplies and pack them away. Eventually, he'd wake up. He really hoped that he hadn't done something like smear the ink on the essay he was writing while he had this dream. Of course, there was always the possibility that he wasn't dreaming, and this was real. But he really didn't want to think about that. From the accounts he'd read, Celestial Warriors were not known for their long lives.

***

Tasuki stalked down the halls, growling under his breath as he kicked open doors in his quest to find the miko. A maid started down the hall towards him only to falter when she noticed he was in a rage.

He caught up to her quickly, "WHERE. IS. MIAKA?" he growled at the shaking girl.

"L-l-library!" she squeaked, pointing in the right direction.

As soon as he let her go she ran, but Tasuki was more worried about finding Miaka and giving her a piece of his mind. Letting the Kutou Shogun touch her bare skin indeed!

He found the door he needed, kicking it open with renewed anger. "GODDAMNED ONNA! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!"

"SHHHHHH!!!" a gaggle of angry scholars shushed him, then shirked back, afraid of the man with fire in his eyes.

Miaka patted Ou on the back, trying to reassure the worried boy things would be okay when she heard the doors to the library burst open and Tasuki's familiar voice called for her.

He sounded mad.

She poked her head out and waved to him. "Tasu-chan! What's wrong?"

Tasuki stormed over to her, gripped her shoulders and glared into her eyes. "How could ya let him touch ya? Your bare fuckin' foot! Do ya got any idea what that is? Ya know it makes ya seem like you was gonna..." he bit off the last word, growling fiercely.

Miaka gasped as Tasuki grabbed her shoulders, holding on a little too tightly. "What are you talking about?"

She looked around at the angered scholars, a bit embarrassed. What a scene they were making! It dawned on her as she stepped backwards and winced, whimpering as the sharp pain shot up her ankle.

"Are you talking about Ayuru-sama? I hurt my foot, he bandaged it up. What's the problem?"

Tasuki goggled at her, "What's the problem?" he repeated, "What's the problem?! Arright. Let me see if I can explain this in a way you can understand; when an unmarried woman allows a man to touch her skin any lower than her chin, it means she wants to BED THEM, AHO!"

He lifted her up and tossed her over his shoulder, "That ain't allowed, Miaka! Especially not with that Kutou scum! I WON'T ALLOW IT!" and wandered out of the library with the miko in tow.

"Iya!" she shrieked as Tasuki carried her out, leaving a wide eyed Nuriko and Ou behind. The scholars shushed them again, but the door slammed closed behind them, cutting it short.

"Put me down! It wasn't like that at all! Ayuru-sama would never..." she was flushed with embarrassment, not wanting Tasuki to think any worse of her.

"Really? So ya didn't let him molest your leg out in the gardens? He didn't lay on top of you? Huh? That's what I heard," he growled up at her.

Miaka wiggled around until he would finally set her down, getting her balance by leaning against the wall so she could keep the weight off her ankle.

"It wasn't like that! We were just talking in the garden and I tripped on my dress, then he tripped and he landed on me. He felt badly for knocking me down and he bandaged my ankle. Look! You can see the bandages. Nuriko was there the entire time he was touching my foot!"

She looked away from him, down the hall into the distance. "Why do you care, anyway?" she could feel her lip trembling, but held herself together.

Tasuki opened his mouth to yell again, but stopped short. Why DID he care?

"Fine. I don't give a damn." He turned on his heel and stormed down the hallway, leaving her standing there alone.

He stopped and turned to face her, half way down the hall. "Chiri was WRONG! Love ain't about feelings in your chest; it's about who ya wanna FUCK at the moment!"

He whirled around and left her there, not stopping until he was in the courtyard between the barracks and palace.

Miaka stood perfectly still and shocked as he stormed off. She watched his back, fighting back tears that seemed to come anyway. "Dummy," she whispered to herself, "Why couldn't you have said something nice like 'because I love you?'" Holding on to the wall for support she tried to follow him. Her steps were slow and pained but she needed to follow. That nice doctor seishi must be around here somewhere anyway, right?

Each step shot a painful jolt through her leg, bringing tears to her eyes but she moved forward. She needed to be strong; she was Suzaku no Miko after all!

***

Nuriko watched as one moment Tasuki was storming in and then grabbed Miaka and stormed out. Blinking, he scratched his head as he glanced down at Ou.

"Dinner is approaching and the Emperor has invited most of us, including you, Ou-kun." Nuriko said, patting him gently on the shoulder. "Apparently you missed speaking with Tasuki, the idiotic red head from beyond. In my opinion, Bandit-chan behaves more rationally than him sometimes, and Bandit-chan is on the idiot side too." Nuriko giggled, realizing he was blabbering as he helped scoop up the scrolls and rolled them up slowly.

"I'll note to smack Tasuki around when I see him next," Nuriko muttered to himself, "He may be a bandit, but using foul language in front of Chiriko-kun is not acceptable!"

Smiling to the boy, Nuriko motioned to the door.

Ou put away the last of his scrolls, arranging them so that he could get to them easily the next time he was writing. This was going to be one of the involved dreams, so he was just going to have to ride it out until things were finished.

And then he realized what he'd just been invited to. "Dinner with the Emperor? I need to find something better to wear. I don't have any of my formal clothes with me! The Emperor would be insulted to see me in this at his dinner!" Not knowing a thing about where or what to do in such an occasion, Ou fretted, trying to think of a solution.

"I can help," Nuriko said as he scooped up an armful of Chiriko. "I have some outfits that might work on you. If not, we can have them hemmed to your size."

When they reached his room, Nuriko headed straight for a small chest and began pulling out all the boy clothes he had. Some he had just bought the other day since Hotohori had finally found out Nuriko's true gender.

"Here's one," Nuriko said, smiling as he handed an older but still elegant outfit to Chiriko. "I'll call the seamstress to make a final fit. After this, they'll be my gift to you!"

Running out of the room, he called a servant over and asked for her to bring the palace seamstress. When he returned, Nuriko grabbed a new outfit and pulled his dirty clothing off over his head, without a second thought as to Chiriko's possible confusion regarding Nuriko's gender.

Ou had already turned his back to Nuriko, looking for a quiet and secluded corner of the room to change into the new clothes that he had been given. Thus, he entirely missed any recognition that things were different. In fact, for precisely the reason that he thought Nuriko was a woman, he was trying to not look at her.

The clothing fit loosely, but it did look good on him, black with a scarlet phoenix design down the left side and a small line of poetry about the bird in white. It was definitely noble's wear, not scholar's wear, and Ou felt profoundly uncomfortable in it. Theoretically, because of his official position, he had a minor noble office, but wearing the Emperor's sigil while not part of his house or his personal staff was dangerous. Such pretension could get him imprisoned or killed. Unfortunately, it didn't look like there was something more suitable for his station available.

***

Miaka had wandered through several of the palace halls by leaning against the wall for support, trying to figure out which way either Tasuki or the Doctor might be, with little luck. It was getting late; almost time for the evening banquet in honor of the Shogun.

As she opened the doors to the exit, she bumped into a large man.

"Oh! Sorry!" She bowed, then looked up, realizing it was the Doctor after all! "You're the Doctor! Mitsukake, right? You healed me before. Thank you..." she bowed again, then stumbled over her words.

"I hate to be a bother but I, er, tripped. Sprained my ankle. I was hoping you might be able to make it feel better." Reaching up she skritched the chin of the kitty perched on the shoulder of the Doctor, grinning as she heard the rumble of a purr.

Mitsukake watched Suzaku no Miko, his miko, with Tama-neko. How was it she kept getting herself injured? Could Suzaku have picked a clumsier girl?

"All right," he said, biting back the rest of what he wanted to say.

This place had better give him some good compensation for all of this overtime work.

He knelt down, reached out, and cupped her ankle with his hand. The glow of Suzaku enveloped her, and instantly the injury righted itself.

The warmth of the red glow swept through her ankle and when she stepped down against the floor again the pain was gone.

"Wow! You're really amazing Mitsukake." She looked up at him with a smile, petting the kitty again.

In the back of her mind there was a glimmer of worry. Tasuki wasn't around... which meant she'd lost him in the hall at some point. She was torn. It would be time for dinner soon, then fireworks. But she didn't want to leave things as they were.

She took a few careful steps, making sure that the pain was gone. Satisfied, she bowed to Mitsukake one more time and then wandered outside, making her way towards where he might have gone. Determined to do... something before the dinner, if she could find him. But what?

_I'll figure it out when I see him._


	28. Chapter 27

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Eiyou Palace

Kouji walked aimlessly down the palace halls, his mind in disarray as a result of the confusing Ambassador's words. The stinging sensation they had left in his heart still ached and he crossed his arms over his chest as if to keep his feelings buried deep inside.

Closing his eyes, Kouji tried to ignore the Shogun's reading of his tormented mind. He wanted to forget the feelings he had and not try to get in the way of Genrou and Miaka, but no matter what, the thoughts of jealousy and bitterness kept resurfacing each time he witnessed one of their interactions. With a deep frown, he looked across the courtyard.

_"What would you say if I told you that one of my men can promise Lady Miaka will return your feelings by day's end? Would you be interested?"__  
_  
Kicking a small pebble, Kouji wondered about the offer. Could some Kutou servant really make Miaka return his feelings? Would it be that easy? Just a nod of the head and a smile and poof! Miaka would be his?

No, men from Kutou couldn't be trusted to keep their word.

Kouji stopped, finding himself directly outside the door to the outer ward. His mind and heart had led him directly to his solution. But he couldn't betray Genrou and steal Miaka away, could he? Sighing, he frowned deeper, remember the conversation between Miaka and Genrou that he had listened to earlier. Miaka had told Genrou that she loved him, but it seemed his best friend hadn't really returned the feelings. Maybe he could win Miaka's heart after all.

Before he realized it, he was knocking on the door.

Tomo looked at the door, then back at his belongings: several articles of clothing, a deck of cards, a couple shin, and some Konan money he had exchanged for at a border town. He motioned to one of the other men, who were engrossed in a bottle of sake, to answer the door.

The door burst open and a rather annoyed looking guard poked his head out. "What the hell do you want?" he asked, not waiting for an answer. "Tomo-san, we got some bandit here at the door."

"I was sent by yer Shogun," Kouji spoke quietly, hoping no one would overhear, " He said t' talk t' some guy named Tomo."

"Let him in." Tomo sighed. It seemed that Nakago was already at work, stirring up chaos. He wondered for a minute what the General really had in mind as the bandit stepped in. Pushing his belongings back into his bag, Tomo straightened his uniform.

"What can I do for you?"

"Lord, er, Ayuru, uhm, that guy ya came wit' sent me to see you," Kouji stumbled over just what to call the blonde man, his accent thickening slightly.

"Follow me. We will speak in private."

He led Kouji to his room, shutting the thick, wooden door behind them.

"What do you need?"

"I…" Kouji looked down at his feet, awkwardly. Was he really doing this? "I need t'make a girl fall in love with' me."

Tomo revealed no trace of emotion as he watched the bandit squirm before him. It looked like perhaps Nakago had found someone he deigned to be of use to them. He'd have to ask about this all later. But Lord Nakago wasn't known for revealing his plans to underlings.

"Yes, I can help you. What was your name?"

"My name's Kouji. Th' girl's name is Miaka and she's 'bout this tall," he raised his hand up to Miaka's height, "An' likes food, an' -"

"That's quite enough," Tomo snapped. Could this one perhaps be one of the Suzaku seishi? He talked too much.

He reached into his bag and produced a vial of an unlabelled, purple elixir. It was a potion he made for Lord Nakago many times before and it was useful for turning your enemy into your ally. You offer them their greatest desire and before they realized it, they were completely under your foot. "Drink this, then go to her. When it takes effect she'll fall in love with you and be yours. Forever."

Kouji took the vial in his hand and stared at the purple liquid. He held it tightly in his fist, not ready to commit to forcing Miaka to love him. Deep down he wanted her to be happy, but he wasn't sure that only he could be the one to give her that happiness.

"What do I owe ya fer it?"

"Nothing."

Kouji scoffed. "Nothin's free, pal."

They stared at each other without speaking for a few moments, each man trying to figure the other one out. Finally, Tomo spoke.

"I'll be honest. It's a new potion that I haven't had the opportunity to fully test out yet. It makes the person love you, that much is clear, but we don't know about the possible side effects to the one who drinks it. You drink at your own risk."

Kouji opened his fist to look down at the innocent bottle of liquid. Could such a cheerful color really be so dangerous?

"Fine. I'll take it. Thanks."

Tomo nodded as Kouji turned to leave the room. "If you have any side effects, let me know. I can treat them and document them for my own studies. I want a career outside of the army one day and this could be my ticket to fame and fortune."

Kouji nodded, then left the room.

Turning to look out the window, Tomo smiled. What a simple fool! He fell for it without questioning the ridiculousness of the whole thing. If all of Suzaku's chosen warriors were this idiotic he and Nakago would have no trouble in conquering the country in short order.

As Kouji passed the Kutou soldiers, one of them tsked at him. No, it wasn't just a tsk, it was an insult. The bandit shoved the bottle in his pocket and whirled round to face the man.

"What'd ya say?"

"You're weak."

Kouji's face went red.

"What the hell is your problem?"

The soldier stood up and cracked his knuckles. "I don't trust Tomo, but Lord Nakago does. That don't mean I gotta agree with using potions to solve your problems. You think I didn't hear? If a woman don't love you it's cause you ain't a man worth loving."

The soldiers all laughed uproariously, sending Kouji into a fit. He launched into an attack and managed to land a solid punch squarely on the jaw of the soldier before another hit him in the head from behind and knocked him unconscious.

Tomo stuck his head out of his room just in time to see their pawn go unconscious.

"You idiots! This man is a guest of our host palace and you insult and attack him? Dispose of him somewhere so that Kutou isn't blamed for this to use it as a reason for war."

***

Tasuki stalked off towards the front gates, looking for a pub with a liberal amount of sake at his disposal with which to drink off his fit of temper.

Why he was angry wasn't connecting just yet, but he was really, **really** pissed off over Miaka's actions involving the Kutou Shogun. How _could_ she let him touch her bare skin?! It went against everything he knew about her!

Growling to himself as he walked towards the outer courtyard, he noticed two unfamiliar uniformed guards carrying another man.

Seeing Kouji being hauled around like a sack of grain caught him by surprise and he stormed over and kicked one of them in the ass, "Th' fuck you think yer doin' to Kouji?"

The Kutou guard Tasuki kicked staggered as he nearly dropped his share of carrying the unconscious bandit. By the man's appearance it was obvious he was a friend of the idiot they were carrying.

"We found him passed out drunk," the second guard lied, remembering what Tomo said. "We're trying to find his room."

The first soldier tried to hide his displeasure at being punted. "Do you know where his room is? Our Captain will be most displeased if we're gone too long."

Tasuki growled, reached down, and grabbed Kouji's arms. "I'll take him back. You fuckers get back to yer Captain," he growled, as he hauled Kouji on to his shoulder. Damn, Kouji was fuckin' heavy. He'd make sure Kouji started watching what he ate; can't have a second in command with a bubble ass.

He didn't even bother to nod at the Kutou soldiers as he turned back to the palace.

_Why is it whenever I go t'get piss drunk, somethin' always fuckin' stops me? Damnit, this shit sucks ass._

Miaka came around the corner in time to see Tasuki haul Kouji over his shoulder and head back her way. She stomped over, ready to tell him off when she noticed Kouji was passed out.

"Tasu-chan, is Kouji-kun okay?"

Tasuki frowned but answered her anyway. "Dunno, caught two bastards from Kutou cartin' him around. Why? Ya wanna claim ya love him too?"

He looked away, angry at her for letting the Shogun touch her and angry at himself because he was hurt. He had almost let himself give his heart away; it would have killed him if he'd allowed himself to love her only for her to give herself to the Shogun.

"I love you, you jerk, I told you that! The Shogun was just helping me with my ankle, nothing more!" She felt her face get hot as the anger bubbled up inside her.

"Why don't you ask him? He'll tell you the same thing. You're the only man I want to..." She stopped herself before saying the 'k' word. "You don't even know if you love me. Why are you so jealous?"

He growled and grabbed her in his free arm, pulling her to his chest. "Because ya arready said you was mine," he growled, tightening his grip around her waist. "I don't share."

The anger left her and she felt herself blushing. "Tasu-chan..."

Her heart began to beat more strongly, echoing in her ears. She could feel her chest against his body. It made her surprisingly nervous.

"Sh... shouldn't we get Kouji to his bed?"

Tasuki shook his head and smirked devilishly, leaning down to cover her lips with his own.

In a moment of surprising grace, Miaka turned her head to the slide, letting the kiss only graze her cheek. She wanted to kiss him, but she couldn't let herself end up hurt.

"I-I'm sorry. I love you. But until I know you can return my feelings I can't..." Her voice shook, trembling, hoping he'd say something.

"Miaka?"

She whirled around as Hotohori approached them. There was a tension there he was grateful to interrupt.

"The peace talks have gone well, but it seems Kutou is intent on our submission. I hate to ask you consider us in the summoning tomorrow, but..."

"Mmm, I don't mind. You've all done so much for me." She was smiling, but not really meaning it.

_Has the end come so soon?_

"Shall I escort you to dinner then? The Shogun said he met you earlier. He was quite taken with your beauty."

Miaka blushed, watching Tasuki's face for any sign he might explode. She nodded, wrapping her arm through Hotohori's and moving away from Tasuki's side.

"Tasuki, since you are not attending the dinner I thought that you might enjoy a trip into town. The Palace has a tab with one of the bars in town. The Sakura, I believe it is called. You and your... friend are welcome to go make use of it. Dinner will be finished before the fireworks. Miaka can join you then."

Tasuki's face went from shocked to furious again in a split second. "Th' fuck are ya goin' on about? Miaka..." he growled and stalked away. "Fine! I know when I ain't wanted."

He was angry, furious, pissed beyond all belief... and had no concrete reason why. Sure, it was rude to all but tell him to 'get lost' but it shouldn't effect him like that.

He stopped and his brow furrowed in thought. Could it be that he was already in love with her? What about... no, no, he'd already given up on that.

He took a deep breath and sighed.

_Well, shit. I guess I do love her. Goddamnit!_

Kouji could faintly hear voices around him; Genrou's seemed angry, Hotohori's calm, and Miaka's nervous. Where was he?

Slowly he stirred, blinking and trying to clear the strange double vision that refused to abandon him. He looked over slowly at the blurred color of Genrou's hair. Trying to push away, Kouji felt sluggish. What had happened to him?

"Genrou," he said roughly, as he cleared his throat, "What th' hell!? Where are ya carryin' me to?"

Tasuki looked over his shoulder at Kouji and breathed a sigh of relief. He put him on the ground and stood, rubbing his back. "Ya hadda go an' pass out. I found ya and was gonna take you back to yer room. But, now that ya are awake, wanna go to th' bar? I need a drink."

Kouji felt his feet touch the ground and rubbed his head. "Sure. But ain't there a dinner tonight though with tha' damned Hotohori?"

Tasuki growled, "We ain't invited. Seems that bandits ain't good enough t'sit at th' same table as an Emperor and an Ambassador. We'd make them lose their dinner. Delicate senses an' all."

He fiddled with the tessen strapped to his back, fighting back the urge to use it on Hotohori and the Shogun.

"I met th' famous Ambassador today," Kouji said, shrugging. "He an' Miaka were in th' gardens an' Miaka hurt her ankle."

He noted the twitch of Genrou's brow when he mentioned the Shogun and Miaka. "Ya upset 'bout something?" Kouji asked, as the guards moved aside.

"That bastard had his hands on her bare ankle, Kouji, how do ya think I feel?" he growled, pulling the tessen out and flexing his hands around the hilt. "Her bare skin, Kouji. Can ya believe it?"

"Genrou..." Kouji said, eyeing he tessen carefully for signs of flame, "I was there an' shit, it ain't as bad as you say it was. Th' bastard, an' he is a bastard (that's for sure), was jus' seeing where her ankle got hurt. Nothin' more. Besides, ya better not be gettin' worked up over someone's ankle gettin' molested."

Tasuki looked at Kouji incredulously. "WHAT!? Are you trying to tell me that you WATCHED him do it?!" It was astounding; Kouji had stood there and allowed another man to touch Miaka and didn't say a word. It was mind boggling.

"That tears it. I'm in some kinda loopy other world where it's proper to molest someone else's woman right in the open, in front of his best fucking friend. 'Don't worry 'bout it, Genrou, it was just a little medical treatment.' I've either lost my mind, or I'm in hell."

Tasuki sighed.

"I need a goddamned drink. Let's go."

"I could use one myself. After all, sounds like ya've lost yer mind." He grinned, placing a arm on his best friend's shoulder. "I mean, sure I would get pissy about a woman gettin' anythin' above her knees touched, but her ankle? 'Sides, it's Miaka. She's just clumsy and people are drawn to help her. Like you were."

Tasuki sighed and laughed. "Arright, so I blew it out of proportion. It just kinda took me by surprise. After all the things that we've been through, the bullshit with Mi-chan and all, I guess I kinda got carried away."

He patted Kouji's back, then looped his arm over Kouji's and over his neck. "I guess I'm kinda pissed about Tamahome beatin' on me too. Dunno why he decided to do it neither. He just smiled real big, pulled me over to a buncha bushes and trees and beat the livin' hell outta me." He kicked a rock and glared at it as it skittered away.

"Kinda hurt my feelin's. I mean... aw hell, never mind."

Kouji watched Genrou as his friend spoke of -wait- getting hurt feelings over Tamahome?! Grinning, he pulled Tasuki's arm away from his neck, and playfully jabbed him in the side.

"What's this about hurt feelin's an' Tamahome?" Kouji chuckled as he pulled away. "An' here I thought I knew my best friend. Brings back memories. Maybe I need to talk to yer new lover."

"Ya know," he said, glancing back at the signs, "Th' palace better be payin' fer this, right? After all, we're missin' th' dinner thing."

Tasuki's face went as red as his hair. "TAMAHOME IS NOT MY LOVER, AHO!"

He blinked and looked around at the guards and maids milling around in the outer courtyard, all of them were eyeing the red-faced bandit with expressions varying from shock to smirks.

He looked at Kouji and then back at the small, whispering groups of people and scrubbed a hand over his face.

He grabbed Kouji's shirt collar and dragged him forward, "You baka!" he hissed, "Now they're gonna start rumors! Shit!"

The muffled voices behind them grew slightly louder, allowing Tasuki to pick up pieces of their conversations.

"Yes, I'd heard that they were lovers but it seems that the red-haired one is being unfaithful with that one there. Look at how close they are! It's unseemly!"

"Seems Tamahome must have kicked that red-head to the curb and now he's trying to make him jealous by going after that blue-haired guy."

Tasuki stalked over to the crowd, anger and mortification blazing in his eyes. "SHUT UP! That ain't true!" he yelled, chasing down the ones who ran. "Tama's gonna kick your ass if'n that shit gets out! Then, he's gonna kick mine for makin' up stories! SHUT UP!"

Kouji felt Tasuki tugging on his shirt collar, dragging him to get them both away. Laughing at the maids and servants huddled in groups speaking nonsense, Kouji yanked free of his friends grip and decided to play along, knowing full well the trouble it would bring.

"So yer usin' me 'cause Tamahome rejected ya!?" Kouji kept out of range of Tasuki, who was struggling to grab him and shut him up. "Just cause of the 'incident' ya think I'm gonna be easy, ne?"

Tasuki went white to the lips, then pink, then red, and finally settled on a nice magenta color that clashed horribly with his hair. "**WHAT THE FUCK**?!"

The whispers became louder, the wind seemed to die, and Tasuki could hear his heart thumping wildly in his ears.

He slowly turned to Kouji, murder in his eyes.

"You are a dead man."

He tightened his grip on the tessen, drawing it over his shoulder. "LREKKA! SHIN'EN!"

Sweat dropping, Kouji backed away, knowing full well what was in store for him.

"G-Genrou, chill out man! It's just a joke!"

If he broke into a run, Kouji knew the flames would reach him eventually. He ducked behind a column, eyes squinting shut as the heat of the flames flowed past him.

After tapping his pocket to make sure the vial was still present, he made another run for cover. Kouji climbed the column as quick as a cat and made it to the tiled roof.

"Ya missed me!"

"GET DOWN HERE, AHO!" Tasuki roared, directing another wave of flames at Kouji, who'd climbed to the roof.

"You take that back, Kouji! Ya know better than to mention that fuckin' incident! It was _your fault_ anyway!"

"Oh no! Tasuki-san has lost his mind! Tamahome-san rejected him and he's gone crazy! Hurry, someone tell Saihitei-sama!" a young maid called to the guards, who were trying to keep the palace staff and residents away from the flames.

Tasuki's attention shifted from Kouji to the maid, his eyes narrowing in anger. "HE'S NOT MY LOVER!"

He ran at her, tessen flung back over his shoulder and embarrassed rage guiding his actions. She screamed and ran, hiking up her long skirts in an effort to keep from falling down.

"TASUKETE ONEGAI SHIMASU!" she screamed as she ran down the halls towards the dining room her Emperor was scheduled to be in, a royally pissed Tasuki on her heels.

***

With Miaka on his arm, Hotohori entered the lavishly decorated dining room, lush with pillows, silks, and variety of exotic foods. Several of the invitees had already arrived but the Kutou Shogun was still absent. He seated her next to him at the table, watching her face. There was a hint of sadness she was trying to hide.

"Miaka, what's the matter?"

"Nothing, Hoto... Saihitei-sama." The Shogun hadn't yet arrived but she needed to be careful. "An argument with Gen-chan, that's all. It doesn't really matter. I'm just biding time until tomorrow, right?"

"Miaka my offer, the proposal, it still stands if you wish to stay."

She looked down at her hands, nodding. It was an option she'd considered but pushed out of her mind. In a way, it almost would be better not to discuss the subject. She appreciated his friendship, but didn't love Saihitei in the same way she loved Genrou.

She sat quietly, listening to the conversations of the men around her, waiting for the next guest to enter.

***

Leaping down, Kouji charged after Tasuki, praying that he didn't use that damned speed of his.

He managed to stay on his fiery friend's tail as they swerved, avoiding servants and maids carrying giant plates and bowls full of food.

The maid screamed as she burst into a huge dining room area where multiple nobles and other people of high status were mingling with.... the Emperor and Miaka?

_Shit._

Kouji lunged, grabbing a fistful of Tasuki's shirt, and pulled backing an effort to stop them from crashing the party far too literally. He could feel everyone's eyes on them as the maid collapsed at he Emperor's feet, sobbing hysterically.

"Ya dumbass!" Kouji growled, managing to slip his arms around Tasuki's, successfully pulling him away from the horrified dinners and a little way down the hall. "Look what ya've done! Now she's gonna tell the damned Emperor about this!" he hissed.

The dinner had been going well until a shrill, shrieking noise began to approach. A maid threw open the door, dropping at Hotohori's feet in sobs. Miaka looked past her curiously, catching a glimpse of what looked like Kouji trying to drag Tasuki away.

_Now what's he mad about?_

"Are you all right, miss?" Hotohori helped the woman to her feet, wiping her eyes. She nodded, staying close to him for fear the crazed bandit would return. His eyes narrowed when he spotted the bandits in the distance. "I must deal with this. For now, I believe we should bring our dinner to an end. Please, excuse me. You may finish your meals at your leisure."

He gestured for the maid to follow as he left the room using the side door, too angry to see the bandits again, even by chance.

***

Tasuki struggled in Kouji's grip, fighting to get the maid and get her away from the Emperor before she could spread Kouji's mistaken joke around. "God_damnit_, Kouji, let me go! She's gonna spew that bullshit to Hotohori an' then he's gonna turn around and tell Miaka!"

He wasn't so pissed off about the joke; that he could live with. But, it was too close to the truth for comfort. While he and Tamahome had no relationship other than friends, he _had_ felt something for the other seishi until he'd been shot down. As it stood, before Kouji had decided to mortify him by blabbing about it, he and Tama had been the only two who had known. He had wanted to keep it that way.

"Kouji, let me go," he growled low as he watched the Emperor stalk off into another room with the maid in tow. "FUCK!" he roared, his tessen and his character symbol heating up and glowing fierce red.

Kouji frowned. Why was Tasuki so worried about what Miaka thought? He yanked his friend backwards with as much strength as he could muster.

"Ya think I'll let ya waltz in an' kill a maid? I dun think so! You'd be a dead man an' I ain't gonna let that happen!"

"Besides," he said, glancing around for witnesses, "It ain't MY fault ya got rejected an' it ain't the maid's fault either! So get over it!"

"Well so what if he did?!" he shouted, clawing at the hand gripping his shirt front. "I know I should'a fuckin' known better, but goddamnit, will ya stop ANNOUNCING IT TO EVERYBODY?!"

He was embarrassed by his own actions, but to have Kouji tell anyone within hearing range that he'd been rejected by someone (especially a male someone) that he had really liked was pushing him back to the furious haze he'd just been snapped out of.

Despite the maid having closed the door, the arguing went on outside it. The words were muffled but the voices were clear enough.

"Excuse me, please." Miaka bowed to the others and exited the room, shutting the door again.

She only needed to go a few feet to catch up with Tasuki and Kouji. Every word of their conversation she heard.

_Rejected? He? Oh..._

She walked straight up to Kouji and Tasuki, trying not to get angry. No wonder Tasuki needed time to think! He was rejected by someone. A male someone.

Her feelings were absolutely hopeless after all.

She approached the two struggling men with a smile. "You know, you're being really loud. This is exactly what Hotohori was worried about. Luckily, dinner is over. Tamahome and Ji-hime even left early to go catch the festival with Chuei and Yuiren."

Kouji felt a strange sensation prickling at the back of his neck when Miaka spoke and he let go of Tasuki. "It ain't my fault he's an ass. I tried to stop him! Hell, he tried to flame his BEST FRIEND!"

He kicked at Tasuki for extra measure, scowling. "Look whatcha done, Genrou! Now I look bad too!"

Kouji's head drooped and he stared at his feet.

"Sorry fer interuptin' yer dinner party."

Tasuki's face went white. He had no more than screamed out that the one who had rejected him was a 'he' than Miaka had shown up on the scene. He ignored Kouji, deciding to instead investigate the contents of his boot pockets.

He had no idea what to say, what to do, how to act, or how to take it back. He knew she had to be hurting because of what he had said, and it killed him. The one thing that would always get to him was her tears or her pain, both of which he felt in his heart as did the rest of the seishi.

"Uh, heya Miaka. Sorry for being an ass and ruining your party." he said softly, eyeing his feet from his position on the floor.

"It wasn't my party, it was Hotohori's party for the Shogun. You should apologize to them." She felt like a fool, not knowing what to say to the man she'd confessed her love to only a short time before.

"I think I'll take advantage of the star festival for a little while more before I go to bed. First I need to change into something less fancy, otherwise I might sprain another ankle." She laughed, but it was a fake happiness. Tasuki wouldn't even look at her.

She began to head to her room, walking past them, then paused briefly beside Tasuki. She wanted to tell him to forget her confession, that she was sorry she brought it up. The words wouldn't come out. She managed a small and whispered "Gomen" before moving on, heading to her room.

Tasuki bowed his head further, feeling her cold words dig into his chest. He'd never meant to hurt her, but it seemed he was destined to.

As soon as she apologized, he knew with out a doubt that she had heard them. Had heard that he'd been rejected by another guy. He couldn't bring himself to look at her, he was ashamed of himself for leading her on. "No, Miaka, I'm sorry," he whispered at her back.

"Come on Kouji, I need a drink."

***

The door to the banquet hall opened a crack and in poked a tuft of cornflower blue hair, followed by the mask of the monk. Chichiri's head whipped from side to side, and it became evident that the dinner was over. The wait staff were nervously lining the walls, frozen stiff until the last guest had vacated their seat. The air circulating the room wasn't very pleasant, and Hotohori-sama was no longer present.

He stepped fully into the room.

"Anou, where is Hotohori-sama, no da?" Chichiri asked a servant in hushed tones.

"He's in the adjoining room, sir. He is dealing with a disturbance."

Chichiri's shoulders slumped. A disturbance, that figured. Who could possibly be responsible? His mind ticked through a few options, but he already knew. It could really only be Tasuki-kun, Kouji-kun, or the drunken doctor.

He sighed heavily. "Thank you, no da."

When he looked up, he spotted the distinguished clothing of the Kutou Shogun. More eye-catching than this was the shockingly blonde hair upon his head. How had a man from a marginalized group of society become so powerful? He had thought that they'd all been massacred ages ago. There was really no time to examine any of these thoughts, as the Shogun was preparing to leave this very moment.

Did Hotohori-sama have time to make the proper apologies to his guests? What if something as small as this threw the destinies of Konan and Kutou entirely off kilter? He considered running out, transforming into the Emperor, and then smoothing over the entire thing, but without any knowledge of what actually happened...

_Ah, he's coming this way, no da!_

Chichiri bowed low to the Shogun.

"Our apologies for any trouble you've been caused, no da."

It was pathetic, really. The high point of the entire boring dinner party was the furious bandits that had come to crash it. Nakago had watched in mild amusement as the one he'd met in the gardens tried to drag off another, more 'noticeable' bandit.

He'd noticed that, while they were struggling, the red- haired bandit's sleeve had come up and revealed a glowing red kanji. At the distance of half-way across the room, he hadn't been able to see what it said, but he'd known as soon as he'd seen it that it was the mark of a Suzaku seishi.

Interesting, to be sure, but he had to question the Bird-God's sanity for choosing such a fiery man to be one of his avatars.

Either way, the dinner was over and his target had left the room with a sobbing maid. He got to his feet and made his way to the door, spotting a strange looking monk that had asked about a 'Hotohori-sama'.

_It seems that Saihitei is Suzaku Shichiseishi Hotohori. That makes things even more interesting._

"No trouble, Monk-san, just men who have had too much drink at a festival. Things like that happen, but tell me; how do bandits come to be in the palace?" he asked to the bowed, blue-haired head.

He knew that one of them was a seishi, the other did not have the aura of a seishi. What purpose could Konan have in allowing bandits into their capitol?

"My name is Houjun Li, no da. The bandits?" Chichiri said, raising his gaze.

It was really no surprise that his hunch had been correct, but it was still depressing to hear. Chichiri wracked his brain for a reason, any reason, that they would be allowed free reign within the palace walls. He rejected idea after idea, mainly because it would reveal how lax security had become or point toward weakness in Hotohori's command.

"They came to plead their case to Saihitei-sama, no da. The Emperor was set on annihilating their hideout, but they came to beg forgiveness and promise to give up their thieving, no da."

"Ayuru Gi, pleasure to make your acquaintance Li-san." He gave a partial bow and smirked to himself. It seemed that the monk was very adept at concealing the truth, without appearing to. Interesting.

He straightened and gave the monk a cool look, allowing a small portion of his power to show. If the aura of controlled power around this monk were anything to go by, he would be a worthy opponent when the time came. Being a warrior who deeply prided honor, it was only fair to allow the monk to sense a small piece of the power he held within. He would crush them anyway, there was no harm in playing at the rules of engagement.

"Indeed, interesting. I had heard that the bandits of Reikaku had been destroyed, are these then the bandits of Mt. Kahou? If so, Saihitei-sama would do better to drown them. Cut throat bastards, the lot of them."

The maid had poured her heart out to the young Emperor, sobbing something about gay bandits threatening to kill her. She'd been given the next two days off, with pay, and sent on her way. It wasn't her fault, but the dinner had gone exactly as the Emperor hoped it wouldn't.

When Hotohori returned to the dinner room, he found the Shogun and Monk engaged in tense conversation.

"Ah, I see you've met our resident Monk. I apologize again for the disturbance earlier. It seems the young woman was just easily startled."

An energetic pulse touched the monk's aura. Hidden by his mask, Chichiri's eyes widened at the recognition of the signature traces of Seiryuu's chi. This man was...!

Quite thankfully, Hotohori returned and saved him from any further explanation. The more elaborate he made his lie, the more chances there were to trip him up, and the Shogun was no one to be trifled with.

"Saihitei-sama, I was just explaining to our guest that the bandits of Mt. Kahou came here in order to plead their case to you and avoid the fate that fell upon Mt. Reikaku, no da."

Bowing in respect of Saihitei's interruption, Nakago turned knowing eyes to the monk. "Yes, he was explaining about the bandits, Saihitei-sama. Your Li-san has already given his apologies for the interruption, and so I shall repeat my reply for you as well. It was no trouble at all. Just men who have had too much drink at a festival. Things like that happen."

The monk was telling half-truths, that much was apparent, and Nakago was more than sure that the bandits who had interrupted their dinner were somehow attached to the miko.

Something was happening here, and he was determined to find out exactly what it was. He bowed to both the monk and Emperor, "Please, I beg your indulgence. My trip here was long and tedious, and I still must speak with my men before I retire."

Receiving a nod of approval from Saihitei, Nakago nodded to the monk and swept out of the room.

_There are far too many seishi here, yet not enough to summon their god. This situation is precarious. I can not allow them to gather all of their seishi. Tomo will be working late tonight, and the blue-haired bandit will be answering some questions._

Hotohori watched as the Shogun left the room, listening carefully as the footsteps disappeared down the hall. He gestured for Chichiri to follow him back into the other room, away from prying ears.

"The Shogun is a little too interested in the affairs of our state for my taste. It seems the summoning will be needed after all, for insurance. Is it prepared?"

"Yes, I believe everything is being prepared, no da. Miaka-sama is speaking with Ou-kun, and with any luck, he'll reveal himself as Chiriko tonight, no da." Though they were alone in the small back room adjacent to the banquet hall, Chichiri spoke very quietly.

"More importantly, Hotohori-sama... that man, Ayuru Gi, he's a Seiryuu seishi, there's no doubt about it. I don't think he's up to any good, no da. We need to keep him as far away from the ceremony as possible, no da. It might also be a good idea to keep an eye on him in case he attempts to contact Ji-hime or Kaen-san, no da. Miaka-sama's friend is still out there somewhere, and that makes me think that maybe..." he trailed off and looked up into the Emperor's eyes.

Hotohori knew deep in his very core that something about the Shogun wasn't right. For him to be a Seiryuu seishi... it made perfect sense.

"The summoning tomorrow will happen quickly. Guards will be posted to prevent the Shogun or his guards from being where they should not. Kaen is a good woman, not evil. I don't think we need to fear her. But I can't get a feel for Ji-hime."

"I have no doubt that Kaen-san is a good person, no da. But if the Shogun speaks with either of the other two Seiryuu seishi in the palace, then it'd be best if we knew what was going on, no da."

He looked down at his monk friend, smiling gently. "I agree. Also, the foreigners should be present for the summoning, don't you think? If I can trust you with the task of getting everyone to the temple tomorrow we should be fine."

Chichiri adjusted his mask in a motion that looked like he was rubbing his chin. This sense of foreboding would not go away, despite Hotohori's optimism.

"I'll take care of it, Hotohori-sama," Chichiri said with a slight bow of his head.


	29. Chapter 28

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Eiyou Palace

Day faded into night, and one by one, the hanging lanterns were lit around the palace. Miboshi had retired to her room to prepare for the festival and allowed the servants to lavish attention upon her body. They bathed her, combed her hair for an unnaturally long time, dressed her in a traditional red kimono, and tied a freshly cut orchid into her hair. When she emerged from her room, she felt refreshed, cleansed of the day's happenings.

Festivals were nothing new. Since she was a child in her first lifetime, she could swear she must've seen hundreds. The Star Festival didn't have any special qualities that could possibly make it more amusing. But that wasn't really the point. She was much more interested in what would happen in the latter hours of the night, when the bratlings were tucked away and she was left alone with a very enamored Sou. The festival was merely the buildup toward the climax.

The corner of her mouth tugged up in a smirk. She stepped out onto the main terrace in front of the palace and peered over the red-painted railing and out toward the city. Aglow with hundreds of paper lanterns, the city had transformed into a mystical replica of the night sky.

The wet-nurse shuffled Chuei and Yuiren out toward Ji.

"Here they are, mistress, as requested, all cleaned up and ready to go," she said with a bow.

Chuei's hair was combed down neatly, and he wore a traditional white yukata with dragon designs. Yuiren's hair had been taken down and brushed as well, but they were forced to give her two tiny pigtails using the red-ribbons she always wore. She'd kicked and screamed, crying "It's from mommy!" until she'd gotten her way. They'd given her a pink kimono with blue floral patterns stitched on.

Ji nodded and dismissed the servant, then knelt before Yuiren.

"I see you have your lantern. We'll find a good place to hang it up."

"It's a star!" Yuiren said excitedly.

Miboshi scoffed... internally. Cheap paper lanterns made by children do not a star make.

"Yes, a beautiful star, all for you."

***

Was he really fussing this much over what he looked like?

Tamahome took another deep breath and straightened the obi low on his hips. Wearing clothing like this was completely new to him, and he wrinkled his nose at the mirror. The Yukata was comfortable at least; the sleeves were airy and wide, the front hung open slightly at his chest. It would be a nice change from the heat of the southern city's days. The maids had tried to give him a much more flashy color originally but after a bit of arguing, he was able to get them to bring a navy blue one with cream colored wave patterns on the edges of the sleeves and hem.

Yuiren had scurried behind the changing screen with the servants and demanded he close his eyes while she tried hers on. She wanted it to be a surprise so he had no idea what she had picked, but he could see Chuei's tastes were as reserved as his. The young boy's clothes were laid out on the bed before they were taken to the baths.

Now, he was alone in the room. Tamahome ran a nervous hand through his hair and stepped out. As he walked down the hallway, he tried to rationalize his nerves. He tried to point out that the summoning was close, that he had never been to a festival, that the clothes were new and strange, but he knew the real reason for it. Tamahome had actually thought about asking Ji if she would stay with him after the summoning. He had been thinking about it ever since their time in the garden. He wasn't asking for her hand in marriage or anything. He wasn't too sure if she would accept and he didn't quite know if he should ask something that important after only knowing her for a short time, but it still strung his nerves out.

He saw the children outside of Ji's room and smiled. Yuiren first, in her bright kimono, then Chuei. The vision that struck him to a stand still was Ji. She was kneeling down, smiling brightly at Yuiren. Tamahome was speechless, how was it possible that she had gotten more beautiful? Her hair looked like a silky black shawl, draping lazily over her shoulders. A single orchid brushed back the strands from her delicate face. Her small lips were painted in a hint of pink that glittered in light of the hall way. Bold, dark lashes curved gently upward veiling a soft green shadow that matched her sparkling eyes.

He had to fight hard in his mind not utter a dumbfounded 'wow', had to fight even harder to unstick his eyes.

He said not a word, but she could feel Sou's (or was it Tamahome's?) eyes on her. Of course, better to allow him the illusion that she didn't know. She gave a full smile to Yuiren, mainly for his benefit.

"Nii-chan!" Yuiren shouted, rushing up to him and shaking her lantern excitedly.

"Look at the star me and Ji-hime made!" She held it up as high as her height would allow.

That was her cue. She turned her attention to Sou, and she allowed her lips to part in a moment of stunned awe. He didn't look bad. Actually, he was quite a good-looking boy, and the pattern he'd chosen suited him well. But of course, the blush of first love requires much more of a dramatic show of attraction, and thus, she stood watching him as if spellbound. She wondered what Suzaku's gift to him was as her eyes traveled the length of his body.

"Good evening, Sou," she stuttered, as she composed her speech.

She brushed her hair back over her shoulder in an exaggeratedly slow gesture, showing off the silver bracelets on her wrist.

For the first time in seventeen years, Tamahome didn't hear his sister's words. His eyes were stuck and it seems that he could hear nothing but the pat of the strands grazing her silk-covered shoulder and the silver tinkling of the bracelets as they shifted in slow motion along with the rest of the world.

"G-good..." He was lost in Ji's smile. "Good evening."

An intense blush covered his nose and cheeks as he cleared his throat, blinked his eyes away and did a double take down to his sister, who was tugging at his hem.

"I'm sorry Yuiren, it looks fantastic," he said as he patted her head.

"Hurry, or we'll miss the fireworks!" Yuiren proclaimed.

She grabbed at the air for her brother's hand.

"I can carry that for you, Yuiren-chan," Ji offered.

The little girl happily accepted, and now that her hand was free, she shyly looked up at the princess with vulnerable eyes.

"Can I hold your hand too, Ji-hime?"

Ji opened her palm and held it out to Yuiren with a smile.

Yuiren brightened immediately, and took Ji's hand as well.

Chuei gave a smile up to his older brother and walked in front of the line to Tamahome's right.

A wave of gladness rushed through Tamahome. He felt it every time they were all together like this. It seemed to start from Ji and flow through Yuiren to him like a current. There they were, in the Emperor's hallway. Mother, daughter, Father, son. Off to a festival hand in hand. Who could want anything more?

The picture of familial bliss, they walked through the booth-lined streets to enjoy the festivities.

The evening was a picture-perfect painting of joy and contentment. A nervous Ji fed yakitori to a fiercely blushing Sou. Chuei helped his younger sister catch a gold and white goldfish. Yuiren sat at an outdoor bench and folded a perfect blue origami star.

"Ji-hime taught me!" she said, smiling triumphantly.

"But you did it all on you own, Yuiren-chan," Ji said, modestly.

Together, they watched the colorful blooms as they exploded across the night sky. In unison, they all shouted 'Tamaya!'. Sou even gathered the courage to put his arm around Ji, when it seemed as though she was getting cold.

Ji insisted on carrying Yuiren when she became too tired to walk home. Once the children were in bed, she gave Sou a kiss - a full, warm kiss with no hesitation. She was a little too close to him, a little too enticing, but at the last second, she backed away.

"I'll see you in the morning," she said, that trusty 'nervous smile' on her lips, "Sleep well."

Sou was left in his own bed, staring out the window, wondering how one man could be so lucky.

***

Kouji followed Tasuki to the city, heading directly to the bar. As they settled at a table, he ordered the first couple rounds of sake, sipping casually as he looked around. So far the day had gone from being woken up with a hangover to watching his best friend wrestle with his emotions regarding a woman they were both in love with. Could it get any worse?

Motioning to the bar tender for another round, Kouji studied his friend's sullen expression.

"So, Genrou," he said softly, clearing his throat, "Ya shouldn't worry too much about th' damn rumors, kay? Its not like its th' end of th' world or nothin'. And Miaka will get o'er th' dinner bein' ruined."

Tasuki drank each bowl of sake that came to his hand, downing them in rapid succession in an effort to calm himself. He didn't want to talk about the mess they left back at the palace, but the more alcohol he consumed, the more he warmed up to the idea.

It took a few minutes for him to form a coherent reply, but skipped it in favor of demanding a bottle be left on the table. He wanted to get good and drunk, wanted to get so blind, stinking drunk that he'd have to sleep it off.

Looking blearily at Kouji, he grinned happily and downed another shot. "S'naaah th' dinner, ahooooooo," he sang, his face feeling hot due to the large quantities of alcohol he'd consumed so far, "S'naaaaah Mi-shaaa. T'maaa's gonna kilk mah asshh. 'E dun waaaaana le'nobodyyyyy knowww I likes 'im. Un'erstan'? 'S kinna sad, he's purdy but he's gotta fing fer tha Jiiii-imeeeee. Heh, heheheh... tha rhyyyymes, Jiiii-imeeeee!" he sang.

Getting to his feet, bottle of sake in hand, he made a round of the bar singing loudly and completely off-key his tribute song to Ji-hime. "OOOOOOh! Her 'air ishh shnaaaaakeey an' blaaaack! An' she wans Tama in 'er saaaaaack! Ishh Jiiii-immmmeeeeeeee! Tha baaaane a mine exhishtanshh! We wann'er t'go 'waaaay, but shee wans jusht to shtay!" he stumbled and grinned, going through four full stanzas.

"K'ji! 'm drunked. Take meh t'Ma'sshh. I wanna sheeee herrr! Ma wuvesh meeh."

Tasuki was obviously drunk and making quite enough fuss that the bartender was beginning to take notice. Sighing, Kouji put down his drink and grabbed a fistful of Tasuki's top. He dragged him out of the bar, opting to leave instead of get thrown out. This way they could at least come back later and put a few drinks on the palace tab.

_Jus' when I was beginnin' to feel the alcohol, Genrou has to out drink me.'_

"Ya can't see Ma yet! Ya gotta be with Miaka for th' summonin'. Then you can go home and we can work on rebuildin' the 'hold."

"MAAAAAA!" Tasuki sang loudly, "I wansh to sheee- Mi-shaa? Whaabout 'er? She hatesh meh caushh I dunno if'n I likesh 'er. Shesh purdy though. Shmellsh nish," he grinned and glomped Kouji's neck, tripping along the walk way.

"Ooooooh! Mi-shaaa ish da finesht giiiirl! Her kisshh sho shweet yer toesh'll cuuuuurl! My Mi-shaa likeshh to make me beeeeeeg! An' letshh me moleshhht her leeeeeg!" he sang, louder than before.

"Ooi, K'ji! Wansh t'shee mine Mi-shaa. 'Pologizhh fer bein' shtupid. Ahh? Shtupid, hah! Shoundsh funneh, shtuuuuuuuuuupid! Ge'rou'sh shtuuuuuupid! Haha! Fell in love wishh shtwo peoplesh; T'ma an' Mi-shaa." he laughed and started to nod off, his head dropping to rest on Kouji's shoulder and his feet stopping all together.

A loud snore broke from his chest as he went completely limp and slipped to the ground with a crash. He mumbled under his breath, the words spoken into the dirt. "Lovesh Mi-shaa an' T'maa. Mmm..." and snored even louder.

***

Miaka had returned to her room to change. She picked a simple kimono this time, sky blue with a cloud pattern, something she already knew how to walk in. She mumbled to herself while she dressed, annoyed about Tasuki's revelation.

"I can't believe it! Why didn't he just tell me he was...? Maybe he likes both women and men? Arg!" She tossed a ribbon across the room, then stormed over to get it. She couldn't think straight. Between the embarrassment of confessing her love to a man who likes men, and the terrible scene the two bandits had made, she was angry and sad all at once. Luckily, at the moment, anger was winning.

She'd tied her hair back up into the odangos she loved, leaving a few strands down. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and thought she looked almost like a Princess.

"Stupid Tasuki! He's going to be sorry when I'm gone."

It was useless to reassure herself. He might realize he loved her, but what good would that do? If he really was in love with a man, then what hope did she have?

She stormed over to the door and threw it open, bumping into her escort.

"Ooof! Sorry," she bowed a little, "Ready to go watch the stars and the fireworks?"

Nuriko smiled as Miaka, being very clumsy, ran into her.

"Sure thing," Nuriko said softly as they turned and headed for the gates. Miaka was quiet. Too quiet.

"I'm glad the bandits didn't cause too much trouble," Nuriko giggled softly, filling the silence, "Typical unruly men, I'd say."

Miaka felt her eye twitch at the mention of the bandits.

"We might bump into them in town but I have the feeling they're going to be drinking again."

She sighed, trying to enjoy the walk. It was dark and the stars looked like salt on a black piece of cloth. They peppered the sky, which made her giggle with delight. "I guess Suzaku is up there somewhere, huh? All of you, too!"

Miaka wandered through town, holding onto Nuriko's arm. Nuriko was like a brother... sister... well, Nuriko was like family. "Keisuke-niichan is going to be mad, I've avoided him all day. But we're going home tomorrow. I just wanted to enjoy a little more time here."

She could hear a drunken ruckus coming from a nearby bar and found herself sighing again.

_It's just as well. Tasuki made a fool out of me. I'm better off going home, anyway._

Nuriko heard the banter coming from the bar, putting his arm around Miaka protectively for whatever was about to come out. The voice was slurred but familiar, and the adjoining voice sounded exactly like...

Bandit-chan!

"Miaka, can you believe those two?" Nuriko said softly, gesturing to the pair.

"They'll wake up and wonder why they were stupid enough to drink, but then they'll go out drinking again." Ou had decided to wander the festival with Nuriko and the girl from Tokyo, because his mind wasn't going to let him study any time soon. He'd seen far too much of the drinking heavily part back home - a lot of the men who were there did it regularly. It was always sad to see them stumble back from wherever they had found enough drink.

"Why do they always drink so much? It can't be healthy."

When they approached Tasuki and Kouji, Miaka caught only the last part of what he'd said about love.

So there was someone he loved, but their name was unfamiliar. She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're right, it's not healthy. A bandit life, I guess."

She glared at the unconscious Tasuki. _Who the heck is this 'Misha n'Tma' anyway? What does he have that I don't? Besides the obvious..._

She poked Tasuki in the nose with her index finger, trying to wake him up. "Hey, wake up!" she shouted in his ear. She gave Kouji a devilish smile, gesturing towards a hill. "Let's drag him over there and look at the stars!" She tugged everyone along so that they could plop down in the tall sweet-grass of the hill.

Kouji nodded. Dragging a rather heavy Tasuki towards the hill, he slumped him off into the grass before looking over at Nuriko and some kid. The kid obviously wasn't related to anyone there, so Kouji assumed he must be another guest of that damned Emperor.

Settling down next to Tasuki, Kouji tried to think about what to do. He could feel the vial in his pocket but he wasn't sure he wanted to drink it. Could he really force this young girl to fall in love with him? He was sure he could treat her better than his friend was doing. She'd be happy! But time was running out to decide. Rubbing his head as he stretched out, Kouji stared at the stars.

Nuriko sat down in the grass a little bit away from Miaka, Tasuki, and Kouji. He was trying not to get Chiriko involved with such adult nuisances. He pointed to the stars, hoping Chiriko and himself could ignore the priestess and the two idiot bandits.

"Do you know where the constellations are?" Nuriko asked, smiling at Ou, trying to get him to talk more.

Ou looked up at the sky. Even with the haze of the festival and fireworks, the stars shone brightly in the background.

"Yeah. The stars have significance - they guide us from above, and communicate the will of the gods. Supposedly, the Celestial Warriors derive their special powers from the constellations that have their name."

Kouji cleared his throat. "Miaka, jus' ignore Genrou's drunken banter. He ain't really like'n that Tamahome guy. We were jus' playin' around, that's all."

Tasuki snored even louder, completely oblivious to the going's on around him.

Miaka stared at Kouji, blinking. Her mouth moved like a fish, open and closed, without a sound escaping. She finally managed to squeak out a small "Tamahome, huh?" before flopping back in the grass.

The grass grew taller than her when she lay back like that. The tiny blades tickled her exposed skin. A deep breath inhaled the scent of the grass, calming her.

The fireworks began, in red and gold. Simple patterns at first, but beautiful regardless. Miaka turned her head to look at Tasuki's sleeping face beside her. This was her last night in Konan, then she'd go back home and return to a normal life.

"Look, how pretty..." she pointed up at the fireworks, smiling a little.

Kouji was about to say something when the fireworks started, the brilliant hues erupting in the sky. Something about Miaka seemed distant; he wanted to speak but the words stopped at the tip of his tongue.

The vial in his pocket was burning a hole and what Tomo and the Shogun had offered to him ran through his mind. He looked over at Miaka, and then at Genrou, frantically seeking some escape.

It had to be a mistake, right? Genrou didn't mean to take Miaka from him, it had to be a misunderstanding! But seared into his mind was the image of Genrou with Miaka. Clenching a fist, his fingers gripping a clump of the grass, Kouji wanted to scream.

Oh how she had twisted him around her finger! He felt used and thrown to the wayside like an unwanted gift. Looking down at the torn grass in his fist, he dropped it, the individual stems drifting carelessly in the wind. His whole body began to tremble, the anger within his heart struggling to breach his defenses.

"Nuriko, I need you to take Genrou back. There's something I forgot to do," he said, his accent totally disappearing. He jumped to his feet and stalked off towards the edge of town, intent on releasing the built up anger.

"Ou," Nuriko said hoisting the bandit up with a single arm, "Stay with Miaka while I go have some fun with this bandit."

Smirking, Nuriko made for the palace, hoping to dish out a little revenge on Tasuki. He frantically threw open the doors to his room and tossed Tasuki on the bed. Reaching into his second chest, Nuriko went to work.

Ou blinked as Nuriko and the strange bandits departed.

"Well, that was unexpected. What is she going to do with him...?"

Ou kept his eyes on Miaka.

"I wonder..." She crossed her arms over her chest again. "Well whatever it is, he probably deserves it!"

She enjoyed the fireworks with Chiriko after watching Kouji disappear into the darkness of town. When they finished, she helped him up from the grass.

"Come on, we can't stay up too late. Big day tomorrow." She winked. As they worked their way back to the palace she found herself lost in her thoughts again. The wishes... what in the world would she wish for?

"Ou-kun, if you had one wish... what would you wish for?"

"Right now, I'd wish to pass the exams, so I could be a high-ranking scholar. But that's probably not what you would want. You're probably already old enough to be married and not have to worry about it."

"I don't know about that. I'm only 15. Where I'm from, that's not old enough to do much of anything. I'm studying for exams, too. Something we have in common!"

As they returned to the courtyard she could feel her body beginning to tire out. "I guess I should go to sleep. It's going to be a crazy day tomorrow." Her room wasn't that far away but the unfinished business between her and Tasuki gnawed at her chest.

No, it was better to leave him alone. She'd say goodbye tomorrow at the ceremony and then she'd be gone.

"Thank you for coming with me. The fireworks were beautiful." She bowed to Ou a little, the waved goodnight as she headed back towards her room.

Thus, left by himself, Ou had much to think about, but his body was clamoring for sleep. So he went back to his own room , settled down and went to sleep. When the dreams came again, he wondered which of the realms were real.

***

Kouji walked aimlessly through a dark alleyway, trying to figure out how to get back to the palace. Eventually he'd come full circle and found himself standing outside the bar he and Genrou had started the evening at. Sighing, Kouji poked his head in. With all the festivities going on outside, the bar was empty and quiet. Exactly the atmosphere he'd been looking for. Ordering a couple more drinks on the palace tab, he felt very much unlike himself – it felt as if his heart was decaying painfully slowly.

The anger had not subsided as he had hoped. Why had his life been twisted so out of shape by a girl? Was his friendship with Genrou as deep and unbreakable as he had once thought?

_Dammit to hell..._

Clenching the cup, he growled softly to himself, trying to figure out a way to fix the situation. He got to his feet after drinking his fill. His body was slightly sluggish from the alcohol he had consumed. He noticed that the fireworks had finally subsided, bringing out the full luster of the stars.

He drunkenly stumbled out of the bar and into the street, still without a clear answer of what to do. Kouji worked his way towards the palace gates, his mind drowsy and struggling to find reason.

Perhaps the Shogun was right. He thought back to his conversation with Tomo and could feel the vial burning a hole in his pocket. When he thought he heard familiar voices behind him, he inched towards the shadows and out of sight.

Yes, he had to do it...

Miaka would be his.

Without allowing his mind to think it over he snatched the glass vial from his pocket, popped off the top, and down its entire contents with one swig. It tasted strange, like sake gone bad. Before he had time to really think about what he'd done, a piercing pain split his mind. He dropped to his knees, cradling his head in his hands until the pain subsided. Then it was quiet. Eerie quiet.

Miaka and the boy walked by without noticing him. Did she love him now the way he'd been promised she would?

Kouji followed them from a distance, waiting for his chance to speak with Miaka alone. As Ou bid Miaka farewell and turned down a different hallway, Kouji grinned. He had to see if the Shogun had truly kept his word; Miaka had to be his.

Leaning against a column, he counted the minutes as Miaka went to her room. Her gentle footsteps echoed in his ears. He heard the creak of a door opening and shutting. Now was the time to make his move.

He knocked.

Miaka hadn't even had time to change when she heard a tap at the door. For a moment she thought it might be Tasuki, in which case she'd promptly slam the door shut again. Maybe it was Hotohori, come to check on her? Or perhaps Ou had forgotten something?

She opened up the door, barely able to make out Kouji's face in the darkness of the hall.

"Kouji-kun, is that you? Is something wrong?"

Kouji watched as the door opened, pleased to see her pretty face.

"Nothing is wrong," he said, approaching her, inching closer and closer. His accent was far from gone, but his drunkenness was concealed with his concentrated feelings. "I came to see you."

When he only received a blank stare, not the warm reception he'd hoped for, his frown turned to a glare. He grabbed her by the arm, roughly pulling her against his frame.

"Aren't you happy to see me, Miaka?" he growled, his eyes full of anger as he gripped the bottom of her chin with one hand, his other holding her in place.

Pulling her chin up, he covered her mouth his with, kissing her as he backed her into the room.

Miaka kept her lips tight, resisting the unexpected kiss. Kouji's hands on her wrists were squeezing too tightly, hurting her. She managed to pull away when he shut the door behind them.

"Kouji-kun, what's the matter with you? You're acting strange. Maybe you should go back to your room and cool down."

He was drunk and angry about something. "I was just going to change my clothing and then go back to my room and sleep." She was slowly backing away from him, trying to put a little distance between them. The look on his face confused her more than anything else she'd experienced here.

"Cooling down?" he sneered, approaching her again, his anger preparing itself to be released. "I'm just warming up."

She was supposed to love him! It looked as if the Shogun was wrong. Worse still was the terrible rage growing from the wound in his heart. He reached for her again, desperate to believe that she now loved him and no one else. She had to stay in this world for them to have a chance together. If she performed the summoning tomorrow evening...

...then she would be gone.

He lunged out, grabbing her wrists as he pushed her back against the wall.

"You never liked me did you?" He felt the hurt bubbling up as he stared into her eyes, their faces inches from each other. "You just thought it would be fun to wrap me around your finger!"

He gripped her wrists tightly, clenching them in his hands as he frowned.

"You think I'm going to stand for this?"

Miaka winced as he slammed her back into the wall, yelling at her. She felt tears well up in her eyes as she tried to push him away. "Kouji, it's not like that!"

She shoved at him, trying to push him away. "I care about you as a friend Kouji-kun, but I'm sorry... I want to go home."

His fists squeezed her wrists tighter and she shrieked. "You're hurting me!"

Kouji glared, holding her in place. He was unable to figure out why the potion he'd been promised would make her love him hadn't worked.

The sound of footsteps and then banging on the door brought Kouji out of his mind. Obviously the guards had been awoken by the situation. Frowning, he released her as he sighed.

"And to think I actually loved a person like you," he murmured as the door was pounded on. He turned to go out the side door, wanting to avoid the palace jail.

She dropped to the floor, leaning back against the wall. There was no good that could come of this, it didn't matter what she could say now.

"I..." she whispered, unable to finish the sentence. Something was wrong with Kouji and she didn't want to provoke him.

"I'll be gone soon enough and then you can forget I ever existed." She watched Kouji's back at the side door.

Listening to Miaka trying to talk to him infuriated Kouji even more. She should have admitted she loved him! What did he do wrong?

Something felt different, a strange something lingering on the edge of his personality, something that had shattered.

"Ya think its so easy, don't you?" he said as he trudged out, slamming the door shut behind him. He would have to talk to Tomo and the Shogun about this.


	30. Chapter 29

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

In the meantime…

"Kaen-san!" Keisuke called, in near sing-song tones outside her doorway, "Would you like to come see the fireworks at the Star Festival?"

Maybe his excitement was getting the better of him, but as soon as Houjun-san mentioned inviting Kaen, it seemed like the best idea anyone had had in days. Besides, he hadn't gotten a chance to talk to her since they'd returned from the mountain. Maybe, tonight, he could thank her for protecting him.

As silence filled the hallway, impatience made his feet start tapping. He tilted his head to try and peer into the crack between the door and the jamb.

"Kaen-san?"

Kaen had been doing her best to avoid everything, lately. She couldn't decide why she was even still around. She should have left as soon as the girl was safely returned. And yet somehow, she never quite got around to leaving.

It was annoying.

And speaking of annoying, there was her... no, _the_ foreigner. She shook her head, then walked over and yanked the door open.

She was most definitely not dressed for any sort of festivities; just her normal combat ready clothing.

Originally, she'd been intending to shout at the foreigner, maybe tell him to shove off and leave her alone. But actually faced with him, she didn't have the heart to do it. She ended up just staring at him, not sure what to say.

The door swung open, and Keisuke was greeted by Kaen's poker-face. Or was that her normal face? He didn't have time to wrack his brain for all of the different faces he'd seen her make, so instead he pasted on a big smile.

"Kaen-san, since Tetsuya and I are leaving tomorrow, we're going to have some fun with the time we have left down at the Star Festival. I was, er, WE were wondering if you'd like to come with us. My treat."

Well, Tetsuya's treat at any rate...

He was energized with excitement and anticipation, and it showed. Hell, someone might've told him he was lit up like the moon and he'd believe it. He didn't bother to examine why this whole thing had gotten him so revved up. It was good enough that he felt this way for the first time since their arrival, and he was going to roll with it.

Kaen stared at him a little longer, almost uncomprehendingly, before finally repeating, "You're leaving tomorrow?"

Maybe she'd been avoiding everything a little too much. She hadn't been aware of this.

And why the hell did it bother her at all, even a little?

She frowned.

That... didn't look much like a yes. The needle on his Meter O' Happiness was dipping down just a tad.

"Yeah, they say they've gathered all of the Suzaku shichiseishi, and that Miaka will call the god tomorrow," Keisuke said, dropping his gaze.

He shrugged and looked back up.

"Well, they've assured me that everything will be just fine, so, Houjun-san suggested we enjoy the rest of our time here. He thought you might like to come along with Tetsuya and me."

Again, that long, blank stare. "You're leaving tomorrow." This time it was a flat statement, rather than a question.

So they were leaving tomorrow, so what? It wasn't as if she'd seen this foreigner at all since she'd rescued him from the wolf-thing on the mountain. And yet somehow, that thought actually made her a little angry, instead of just confirming that she really shouldn't care.

Her frown took on a vaguely puzzled quality at the direction of her thoughts.

But, if they were leaving tomorrow...

She dismissed the rest of her thoughts with a flick of her fingers. "Fine," she said. A very, very small smile tilted up the corners of her lips. "So you don't get in trouble."

Leaving the door open, she went back into her room for a moment. She'd be damned before she'd go anywhere without at least a knife.

Keisuke's smile made a triumphant return. Score! If Miaka was going to run off and have a good time, why couldn't he? He imagined himself out on the town with Kaen. He'd throw balls at milk bottles and win her a teddy bear... then she'd do the same and break every bottle in the place. They'd gift her with a giant stuffed alligator, which she'd promptly unload on him. His mind meandered into some strange territory, sometimes...

"Oh yeah! Have you ever been to one of these festivals? Do we have to wear anything special?"

Kaen picked up her knife and secured it at her hip. She glanced at Keisuke and shrugged. "No," she said, in answer to his first question. She doubted festivals here were too much like the ones back home. "I don't know," was her second answer. As far as she was concerned, the only concession she needed to give to the occasion was to not bring either sword or bow.

She walked out of her room and shut the door behind her, then looked at him expectantly. She used her normally stern expression to hide the fact that she was actually feeling a little awkward about this. She didn't quite understand why the foreigner would want to bring her along to a festival to begin with. She wasn't exactly the most social of people.

Keisuke watched Kaen slip a piece of metal onto her person. He hoped she wasn't planning on using it on him.

"Oh, well I guess we'll be fine," Keisuke said.

He could feel his nerves fraying, but he was determined to hold onto his good mood. He led his newly acquired guest out the front doors, then shielded his eyes (as if it would help against lantern light) and squinted into the night in search of Tetsuya.

Normally when night came, Tetsuya would relinquish his trademark shades or, if he was in the presence of friends, swap them out for a pair with clear or light gray lenses. Unfortunately, that could only be done back home, where a ready selection of shades was at hand. Here in this other world, he was pretty much restricted to this single pair. They weren't what he'd call appropriate for nighttime activities, but his night vision had always been superb, with or without sunglasses obstructing the way.

Keisuke and Kaen were easy to make out against the backdrop of light when they'd stepped out the palace. Someone should've told Keisuke that all the lantern did was to thoroughly ruin his night vision, making it impossible for him to see anything past a few yards while anyone standing outside the circle of light could've marked him a hundred paces away. Tetsuya moved, stepping away from the tree he'd been leaning against for the past half-hour and approaching the pair.

"Keisuke," he greeted them as soon as he was in range of the lantern's glow. "Kaen-san. You made it after all."

Kaen nodded to the other foreigner. "Yes," she said.

And then it struck her that she was going to be going somewhere. With two men. She'd never been around one man for an extended length of time, let alone two. This was going to be a very, very strange evening, and she had no idea how to act. Or even what to say. Men were inferior, right? So how did one speak to them...? And about what...?

She wasn't fidgeting. Amazons didn't fidget. But for a moment, Kaen looked exactly like what she was - a teenager that was in unknown territory and feeling terribly awkward.

"Great, let's get going," Keisuke urged.

Happily, he led their small group down to the festival. The soft glow of the star lanterns hung on each stand lit everything sufficiently, so he held his own down at his side. Brightly painted signs advertised all manner of food and entertainment. Mostly, he just looked inside at what the people seemed to be doing or salivated over the scent of cooking meats. He felt just like a kid again. He ordered beef on a stick and smiled brightly.

Tetsuya brought up the rear of their trio, walking a couple of paces behind and beside Keisuke. Kaen was Keisuke's other side, looking decidedly out of her element despite the stiff mask that was her default expression. Tetsuya couldn't blame her; he doubted she was accustomed to such a social outing. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure how to ease her out of her discomfort--every option he considered might (and probably would) be taken as nothing but smug chauvinism by her, and her reaction to such a perceived (if unintended) act would likely not be pleasant.

Several possible topics for small talk popped up in his mind, but before he could start exploring any of them, the three of them had arrived at the festival, and Tetsuya found himself--and Keisuke--distracted by the surroundings and various offerings. It was surprisingly like one of the summer festivals back home. And Keisuke was like a little kid soaking it up all. Tetsuya briefly wondered if his friend was the same way back home; he'd never accompanied Keisuke to one of these before, as summer vacations often found Tetsuya overseas rather than in Japan. The life of a rich kid with laissez-faire parents, one supposed.

They walked along, looking around at everything the festival had to offer. And there it was - in all of its traditional glory - the milk bottle game. A game of aim and strength, both of which Keisuke had plenty of. He rolled up his sleeve.

"One round, sir!" Keisuke said.

The man tossed him three small, hard balls. Keisuke rolled them around in his palm and licked his lips as he eyed the bottles.

"You're going down!" he called as he launched the first ball.

It slammed directly into the bottles and they came tumbling down.

"Banzai!" cried the man behind the stand, he raised his hands above his head.

Keisuke squinted, trying hard to keep his concentration, and hurled the next. BAM! Second time down.

More cheers from behind the stand. A little girl walked up behind him and watched with big round eyes.

"And three!" Keisuke shouted, as he launched the last attack.

"Perfect three!" the man shouted, and he handed Keisuke a teddy bear the size of his torso.

Keisuke peered down at the little girl and smiled warmly.

"Do you want it?"

She nodded.

"Is it okay with your parents?"

Her mother, who was standing nearby, said, "Yes, thank you, sir."

He made the bear wave at the little girl, and she giggled in return. He handed the stuffed animal over to her, and she squeezed it tight. It was almost bigger than she was.

"Say thank you to the nice young man," the woman said.

"Thank you, onii-chan," the little girl said.

"No problem," Keisuke said and waved as they left.

"Two more rounds, sir!" Keisuke shouted.

"Yessir!" the man tossed Keisuke another three, which he immediately tossed at Tetsuya, whether he was watching or not.

He held up his hand and the man tossed him another set. He grinned and held them out to Kaen.

"Want to try?"

Tetsuya wondered if Keisuke left his sister to pay for him on these sort of occasions. First the kebob, next the games. Tetsuya supposed it was a good thing that he was the one holding onto the money; it meant he could stop Keisuke from going overboard. As Keisuke amused himself with the games and indulged in some spontaneous generosity, Tetsuya glanced over at Kaen.

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

Whatever her answer might have been, however, was interrupted by the rapid approach of three thrown balls, courtesy of Keisuke. Tetsuya barely detected them in time before they could clonk him in the face; what ensued was an impromptu juggling act as his body struggled to keep from dropping any of the balls and his mind struggled to catch up to what had just happened. Somehow he succeeded at both.

"Was that necessary?" he glared at Keisuke.

Kaen blinked at the foreigner with the dark glass covering his eyes. She was in the middle of weighing out whether or not to honor his question with a response when three thrown weapons were hurled at his head. She caught a laugh in her throat before it escaped and made her look like a fool.

Her--THE other foreigner held out his hand to her and offered up a set of three weapons. She frowned down at them, and then turned a confused gaze back up to him.

"What am I supposed to do with these? There's no danger here." She spoke flatly; glad to have her balance back.

"You throw them – at the bottles – over there. See?" Keisuke said, pointing to the neatly re-stacked milk bottles, "It's a game. If you knock them down, you win a prize," he said smiling.

Tetsuya, having been thoroughly ignored, adjusted his glasses, stepped up behind the line, and, swiftly hammered all three balls… into the wall. Okay, so maybe he wasn't quite the jock that Keisuke was. In fact, he was really more the opposite, having grown up in relative luxury and preferring it that way, but his dignity was on the line here. He couldn't just let Keisuke show him up like that, especially not when he was paying.

"Three more, sir," Tetsuya demanded. Three more sailed through the air at blinding speeds, and again the milk bottles stood mockingly before him. He grit his teeth as blood rushed to his head. "Three more!"

"Uh, well, sorta like that," Keisuke said with a sweat drop. "'Cept you actually hit them."

At that, a ball thwacked into his head rather harshly. Keisuke, for his part, had nearly lost his balance, but an instant after he'd right himself, he yelled, "HEY!"

"Ah, young man, please make sure you aim this way. Honey," the man running the booth addressed his daughter, "Why don't you give the man a prize for his effort?"

A little girl presented Tetsuya with a tiny candy. He gripped it in his hand, bowed his head, and then stood facing away from the booth with his arms crossed.

"Your turn," Keisuke said, rubbing his head while shooting Tetsuya a look of death.

Kaen plucked the balls from Keisuke's palm and studied them as his friend utterly failed at the game. Kaen raised an eyebrow to the male as he turned red and walked away with a shame prize.

"I understand," she said bluntly.

Her face revealed nothing. If she was having fun while taking her turn at the milk bottle game, Kaen's features didn't tell. She picked up one ball and launched it at the glass. The bottle tipped and fell with a ringing noise.

A smile tugged at Kaen's lips. This was child's play. It was no doubt set up so that even the most inferior of warriors could hit the targets. Perhaps the boy with the dark glass truly was blind.

The next two she fired in rapid succession. The middle bottle fell in the same manner, but the third shot went wide and only ricocheted off the clear glass with a mocking plink.

Kean's eyes widened and narrowed, shooting a glare at the last bottle. Her hand shot out and demanded more ammunition from the game master with not so much as a please or thank you. When she felt more in her hands, she clamped her fingers around the shells and hurled another shot at the insufferable milk jug. When the next shot hit but only teetered the glass, she let out a frustrated huff and hurled the remaining two balls at the glass. It not only hit, but the thick glass cracked upon impact.

A satisfied smile curved her lips.

For a moment, all was still. The owner reconnected his jaw then threw his arms up into the air.

"Banzai! We have another winner!"

A giant stuffed panda was loaded into Kaen's arms.

"Nice! Good job!" Keisuke commented, before he had the time to think about how she might take a compliment from a man, especially concerning a game at which she was relatively new.

Tetsuya twitched in silence.

Kaen shuffled backwards at the bulk of the stuffed panda that was handed to her, setting puzzled glances at the thing and then the owner in turn. She heard the compliment behind her and she turned, nearly taking out Keisuke with her new dimensions as she did. She peered out over the smiling black and white face and searched his face for any sign of patronizing. When she found none, Kaen closed her eyes and explained it in a way the man could understand.

"It took three tries to eliminate that target."

"It was just a game," Keisuke responded, "I mean, nothing depends on it but the fate of a stuffed animal." He smiled and poked the bear's rotund furry white stomach.

"We can play another game, if you want. I'm kind of hungry, though. Hey, Tetsuya," Keisuke called.

Tetsuya came when he was called with his hands in his pockets. When he removed then, he slapped a bit of the money that Houjun had given him down in Keisuke's hand.

"Take care of this," he told her, "I'll catch up to you guys later."

"What are you--?" Keisuke asked.

Tetsuya grabbed his friend's shoulders from behind and shoved him forward while Keisuke dug in his heels.

"Go, have fun," he said, and then, in a whisper, "If you don't let her know how you feel tonight, you never will."

With one final thrust, Tetsuya pushed Keisuke off.

Keisuke glanced over his shoulder, but made a quick recovery.

"So, what do you want to eat?"

Kaen missed the display, which was probably a good thing for both of the Japanese boys. She was busy examining the panda in her arms with a frown. This thing was not of her taste and unlike the foreigner's animal, there was no young child readily available to pawn it off on. Still…the bear looked at her with what seemed like lonely eyes, which made her avert her own. She wouldn't show weakness while in such company.

She glanced up at Keisuke's question and realized that the male escort had been reduced to one. For some reason she felt her heart speed up. There must be danger around, she assured herself, surveying the fair. Small children scurried after their mothers and fathers. Some held lanterns in front of them, playing around the legs of the adults; giggling in the orange glow.

"Anything will do." She answered tersely, her irritation rising at the failed attempt to reason with her skipping heartbeat.

"Hm, okay," Keisuke said, peering at the stalls lining either side of them.

He directed them toward a stand advertising Longevity Noodles. He ordered his share, and she hers, and he paid the man. With noodles wrapped around his chopsticks, Keisuke smiled.

"Here's to long life and happiness," he toasted, before shoving them into his mouth.

"Oh! We should get to the hill so we'll have the best view when the fireworks start. That should be soon, right?" Keisuke suggested.

Together, they walked toward the hill and slurped at their noodles. It was easy for Tetsuya to say so, but how could he possibly tell her something like that when he was going to be leaving the very next day? He always credited himself with being a brave guy, but this wasn't about being rejected or not. On the off chance she actually felt something for him; they wouldn't have any time to be together before he'd have to go back to his world. It was better to just leave well enough alone and enjoy what time they had left as guardian and foreigner, or semi-awkward firework-watching-partners, or even friends.

The hill was scattered with people who had the same idea as her foreigner. Some friends joked together as they picked their seats on outcroppings of stone, some families tended their children, coaxing them to stay still so the show could start. But more than either of the other two sorts, there were couples. They sat arm in arm, women resting their heads on their boyfriend's shoulders, others lay across each other's laps, and still others cozened behind the thin covering of shrubs.

The sight of all the love in the air made Kaen tense. She cast suspicious eyes in her charge's direction, but he was smiling. There was no glint of ill intent in his eyes, even if he had been thinking of trying anything, he looked even more harmless than usual, carrying her panda; giant, fluffy, and cute. She felt heat rush to her cheeks, despite the cool night air and hastily turned her face.

"Here would be an ideal place." She pointed to a patch of clover beside a tall boulder. "The view is clear and the ground is soft."

She snuck a glance at his face. He did seem to be thoroughly enjoying her company. It eased her mood a bit, but it did nothing to still the irrational pounding of her heart against her chest.

"Good find," Keisuke said as he made his way to the spot she indicated.

Now was his chance. He wasn't going to get another one. If he hurried, he could be back just in time for the show. He plopped the bear down in the cover patch.

"I'll be right back. He'll save my spot for me."

With that, he gently pushed past a few people with a mumbled "excuse me", and made his way back to the fairgrounds. He was on a mission - a sacred mission to find Kaen a gift that would show his gratitude for saving him and simultaneously not earn him a ceremonial stabbing for an accidental show of misogyny.

After passing stand after stand, he finally came to a halt in front of the hairpin stand. Many of them were ornamental, for sure, and he couldn't help it, the thought of her wearing one made him feel tingly, but they could also have practical uses for a warrior. After all, keeping her hair out of her eyes had to be a big priority, right? That's why she wore the rest of her hair up all the time.

Flowers, no. Stars, still no. Hearts, oh heck no. A phoenix, well, not quite. Amazons didn't worship Suzaku. Butterfly, probably not. Bamboo, hmmm. He picked up a gold hairpin made to emulate a bamboo stalk, but when he did, another pin caught his eye. It was simple jade with silver spiraling around it. With time running out, he made his purchase, pushed it into his pocket, and dashed back up the hill just as the first fireworks popped.

"I'm back," he said, between breaths.

"You're almost late," she said with a hint of a smile forming on her mouth. "Sit," she commanded, moving the fluffy animal to the side.

She said nothing more, casting her gaze to the night sky to catch the bright display of color that lit the hillside in flashes. Slowly, the hill began to fill up. More groups and couples made their way to the best seats in the house. There were joyous shouts of 'Tamaya!' from both the children and the older crowd. Kaen sat amazed. Her eyes watched with the anticipation of a child's, and she allowed herself to smile as she drew in a breath of fresh night air, slightly tinged with distant ash. She laced her fingers together and braced her arms over her knees. Her gaze never left the exploding sky.

"This is truly amazing," she proclaimed in an awed whisper, fully aware that that one sentence held more emotion than anything she had said throughout her entire life. But who wouldn't be amazed? The sky was on fire.

Eyes fixed on the sky; Keisuke was as captivated as she. Though he'd seen it countless times before, the exploding reds, yellows, and greens across a canvas strewn with stars was always breathtaking.

"Tamaya!" he shouted in appreciation along with the crowd.

When he caught his breath, he turned his gaze toward his companion. Fireworks were something he could see again, over and over, countless times if he wished. She would only be in his world for this moment. He would only be a part of hers tonight.

Fiddling with the hairpin in his pocket, he watched the colored light splash across her face. Amidst the shrill whine of the firecrackers as they took off into the air, thrilled hoots and laughter at the sight of them, and the bursting and crackling as trails of light rained down toward the earth, Keisuke stirred his courage.

His ears were practically numb, so shouting was out of the question. He dug into his pocket, enveloped the hairpin in his hand, and drew it out. With a tap of her shoulder, he caught her attention, and presented her the small jade and silver ornament.

Kean tore her gaze away from the sky and turned towards Keisuke. He certainly looked as if he had seen something terrible. Her foreigner was flush and shaking, but holding out a thin hair pin.

The lights from the sky reflected off its surface in a soft glowing color show. The Amazon cocked her head at the offering and then brought her hand up to her hair, thinking maybe he was telling her there was something out of place. When the patting of her high twist of hair revealed no abnormalities, she glanced back up at Keisuke with a question in her eyes.

In a show of manly bravery, or maybe just a real desire to convey his feelings, Keisuke reached out and took her hand.

Kaen had almost grown comfortable enough around her foreigner to not jump if he came close to her, but definitely not close enough that she didn't try to snap her hand out of his the instant he touched her.

He pressed the hairpin into her palm. She jerked her hand instinctually back, but he steadied her and folded her fingers over the sleek jade hair ornament. He waited for her to inevitably look at him, and when she did, he mouthed "Thank you."

Kaen was about to berate him for thinking himself so high and mighty that he would even think of touching her, but when she shot an icy stare up to him, he just smiled and mouthed the words 'Thank you'. It stopped her short in her tracks. She was forced to unfold her fingers and take a second look at the present, for indeed that is what he had placed in her hand.

Something inside her softened, not entirely against her will. She ran her fingertips over the smooth surface and smiled at it. He had done well at something she hardly expected any man to have competence in. The pin was useful, sleek, and not extravagant. Nothing dangling to make noise as she moved and the dull, creamy stone didn't reflect light as gold would have.

Kaen made sure to stiffen her smile when she turned her face back to his and nodded. Bringing her hands up to her hair, she unclasped the old fasteners and let loose a cascade of soft dark maroon-brown hair. She enjoyed the feeling of taking her hair down. The tingling through her scalp was sensuous, but she guarded her expression while in the company of her charge. After flouncing out her previous style, she quickly gathered the locks up again in a rigid twist, tucking the ends into it, and fastened the new present in her hair.

She was pleased.

Watching her hair spill out across her shoulders, Keisuke felt physically struck still by her beauty. A collective catching of breath sounded around him, and for a second, he almost thought it was because of her. Deftly, she rearranged her hair, but for that brief moment, she had held him captive, while the fireworks finale bloomed fleetingly above them.

"Tamaya!" the people shouted.

When his senses rushed back to him, he looked up to catch the tail end. Bits of falling fireworks like shooting stars sprinkled across the clouds of smoke.

She could feel his eyes on her, but she didn't want him to know she could, nor did she want to see it herself. Instead, she turned her gaze back to the sky. The clouds were littered with glitter dust from the last festive explosion. She smiled freely, let him think it was from the beautiful sight, let herself be convinced it was because of that too.

"Tamaya," she said softly with the rest of the onlookers' shouts.

She glanced at her foreigner through the side of her eye, and a sly smile slipped over her lips. He wasn't as safe as Houjun, but he did make her feel like she could relax.

People began to scatter and shuffle off. Tuckered out children were carried away, couples descended to continue their merrymaking in private, and Keisuke found himself lingering in the soft green clover patch with Kaen. She hadn't said anything, but she'd liked the gift. He could tell, mostly because a poor choice would likely have landed him face-down at the bottom of the hill.

The air was thick with the scent of char, but the night summer breeze was cool, and he was content to ride this moment as long as it would have him.

The show was over and Kaen closed her eyes, savoring the image of the last bright color display. The finale was breathtaking. Rapid shell shots of sparkling and over lapping colors raced to the climax of the large gold shimmer that seemed to flap in the night sky like their phoenix god.

"Is there anything you else you planned on taking in?" she asked her charge when she finally opened her eyes again.

"I—Tetsuya?" Keisuke peered past Kaen at what seemed to be a giant stuffed cat head on his best friend's body.

Tetsuya shifted the animal onto one side, adjusted his sunglasses, and grinned. Success.

"Hate to call it quits, but you kids ready to go home? Houjun-san said we should head back a little early to get some sleep for tomorrow."

Kaen stood up immediately at the sound of the other's voice. She stumbled for an explanation as to why they were here, as if she were getting caught with her hand in a cookie jar.

"It's a good idea," she finally said.

At that, Keisuke pushed himself up, then, forgetting himself, offered Kaen a hand up as well. He was smiling, at least. How long he'd be smiling was anybody's guess.

Kaen forwent the hand offered, preferring to push herself up by the rock she leaned against. She shot Keisuke a weary look of someone who understands the other will never change. Shaking her head, she got to her feet and brushed off the grass that clung to her legs.

Despite his generally cool exterior, this one knocked Tetsuya for a loop. He had faith in Keisuke's charm, sure, but the fact that he was fully conscious and free from bodily harm after that one still came as a shock. He contemplated asking Keisuke how he'd done it right then, but decided against it in favor of a shrug.

The trio made their way down the deserted hill and along the dirt pathway leading toward the Emperor's palace. Keisuke asked Tetsuya about the origins of the stuffed animal, despite the obviousness of the answer, and the two engaged in a bit of friendly banter. Every now and then, he'd steal a glance at the jade nestled within Kaen's hair, and the smile that elicited warmed him within.

***

Alone in the night, Tomo wandered the gardens slowly, trying to avoid the inane banter of the maids and servants preparing for the night's end. The atmosphere was very unlike that of Kutou's palace; too naive and uppity for the threat of war looming all around them. Only idiots would ignore the signs, but Konan seemed to be a entirely new cup of insanity.

The vivid chatter of the crickets helped him ignore his thoughts of Konan. Looking out towards a large pond, the glow of fireflies seemed to be dancing across the waterline. He noticed someone in the gazebo, leaning against the rail and deep in thought.

It was the bandit from before.

Was he under their control now? The potion would take some time to fully work its way into the bandit's mind and heart, but he should be more desperate for their help than ever. Especially if he'd gone to talk to the girl and found that the 'love' potion he'd been given hadn't worked as expected. He entertained thoughts of just moving on, but helping the bandit as per Nakago-san's orders came first.

"What's the matter?" asked Tomo, approaching the bandit quietly, like a cat.

Kouji turned around as he grabbed the collar of the man who had promised Miaka would love him again. His eyes were red from the tears he'd spent after fleeing from Miaka's room.

"Ya screwed up everything!" Kouji snarled, gripping Tomo by the collar, pulling him closer. "She wasn't in love with me an' now she never will be!"

"Calm down." Tomo said in an even voice, not fighting the fist on his collar. "This too can be fixed. You didn't give the potion enough time."

"Ya didn't say nothin' t'me about how long it'd take!" Kouji's eyes were wild as he let released the painted man. "Time is somethin' I don't have. She hates me now!"

Nakago made his way to the outer ward, towards the barracks his men had been assigned to. Passing a small garden, he heard what sounded like Tomo's slithery voice and the deep growl of the dark-haired bandit from before.

Curious as to why the bandit was not in the daze that usually came along with one of Tomo's spells, Nakago made his way to the gazebo where their shadowy forms could be seen.

"Things are not always as they seem, bandit. What can sometimes be confused for disgust for another, may actually be self loathing. She must be hating herself to know that she pushed you away so completely that she has not even the barest glimmer of returning to your good graces," he said, stepping up behind the dark-haired bandit. "Give the potion time to work as Tomo has said. We shall help you regain your lost lover, as a token of good faith between Kutou and Konan," he added quickly, sensing Kouji's anger. "For peace, in all of it's forms."

"A token of good faith?" Kouji frowned. "Make it work faster, dammit! Genrou's gonna kill me fer messin' this up! "

Nakago smirked, eyeing the bandit steadily. "I see. You've betrayed a friend in doing this, have you?" he asked, understanding lighting his eyes.

Why did it seem that all of the people who needed his help were children?

He turned to Tomo. "Give him what he needs to regain his lady love, and make sure it works faster this time."

Tomo nodded. Pulling something out of his pocket, he handed it to Kouji, the shin snug in a small leather pouch at his side.

"What's this?"

"Another elixir. You must have her drink this one to speed up the process. She will slip into a deep sleep after you give it to her. She'll sleep for days, potentially, while the potion works its magic on her. When she falls asleep you will bring her to us and we will do what is required to fix the problem. When she awakens again, she will love you," he said, quietly. It was lies, mostly. The potion would knock the Priestess out, which would give them the opportunity to kidnap her without actually making Kutou responsible. They'd awaken her but her feelings wouldn't change.

By that point, Kouji should be completely under their control and it wouldn't matter.

Kouji nodded, closing his eyes. He wasn't sure he could do this. He'd tried already to change her feelings and had made a mess of things. Could he take it further knowing the risks? He leaned against the railing.

"Why are you so eager to do this?"

"You do not have to accept our help. You are free to turn your back and let her go." Nakago smirked, seeing that he was close to the truth by the look of fear and self-anger in the Bandit's eyes.

"You expect the lady to throw herself at your feet? Even a miko does not have that sort of attitude towards love."

"Yer tellin' me if I do this, I'll win the heart of the Suzaku no Miko after all I've done?"

Tomo nodded with hidden delight at the confirmation of the presence of the Suzaku no Miko. This bandit was infatuated with her! Nakago had figured all of this out in an afternoon's time. The potion Kouji had ingested was already working, twisting his emotions and making his tongue loose around them.

"She prefers my best friend anyways. I ain't a seishi like him, I don't have Nuriko's strength or that damned Hotohori's grace, but I'll be damned if she doesn't pick me 'cause I ain't special like 'im"

"Indeed. That would be too much of a blow to the pride to have been pushed aside for something as simple as that. She fell for one seishi, but could she be after the other two? Perhaps after the rest of them are gathered, she will love all of them more... if we were not to step in and rectify it."

It was absolutely delicious, the Bandit was spilling information that was supposed to be kept quiet. The Monk, the Emperor, this Nuriko person, and the red-haired bandit. Four of seven were not good numbers, but it was better than seven of seven.

"Actually they got all seven of em, I think. Tamahome, Mitsukake, Hotohori, Nuriko, Tasuki, the monk, Chichiri... Now that I think about it, her feelin's fer him got stronger with each new Seishi that appeared!"

Tomo glanced at Nakago, concerned. How had they gathered them so quick? Something had to be done about it, something soon.

"An' the maids were talkin' about a lil' kid bein' Chiriko, but I dunno." Kouji chuckled. "Ya don't mean to be killin' them, do ya?"

Nakago frowned; this was not good news. "No, we're not going to kill them. That would not be conductive to peace." He couldn't reveal that truth yet. Kouji wasn't far enough under their control to handle that information and what they planned for him to do. Nakago turned to Tomo. "I'll see you in the morning. I have to adjust our plans."

He swept out of the gazebo, mind whirling around the possibilities of the bandit being right. He had to find a way to put a stop to this. Sooner, rather than later.

***

Nuriko admired her work: the twin pearl earrings instead of those god awful earrings he usually wore, the finest silk dress (a flamboyant pink and white, obviously girly), the underdresses were plentiful, some sheer and others a simplistic pink or a bright white. Adjusting the Tiara that was nestled in Tasuki's hair, Nuriko giggled.

Payback had never been so sweet!

She had powdered his face, painted a shimmery pastel color on his lips, medium eyeliner for his eye with a touch of hazel eye shadow. Hell! Nuriko had even managed to paint his nails a bright pink. Combing back the drunken Tasuki's hair and adjusting the tiara for a final time, Nuriko scooped him up, grabbing one of his own ornamental fans and dashed for the Throne room.

It took only a scant few moments to reach the room. Gently placing his prized article of revenge on Hotohori-sama's throne, he adjusted Tasuki's posture to make it look like he had been sitting there on purpose. Oh the joy when the maids and the advisors saw this!

Placing a fan in Tasuki's hand for a final touch, Nuriko scrambled out, eager to hear the news of a cross-dressing seishi when everyone awoke in the morning.


	31. Chapter 30

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Eiyou Palace; The next morning

Hotohori yawned and stretched, making his way towards the throne room. They were going to summon Suzaku today. Miaka would attain the power of a god and secure a peaceful future for Konan. She was a brave girl but unease read all over her face at the banquet.

_I may be blinded by love, but I'm not a fool. _

He wandered into the throne room in an attempt to finish some of the days business before the summoning. A pile of brightly colored cloth was draped over his chair. He moved closer, examining what appeared to be a sleeping woman, until he turned 'her' around, recoiling in horror.

"Y-You...!"

Tasuki woke in waves; at first all he knew was the warmth and tingles that were rolling over his whole body, then sound drifted to him. Gods, did the entire palace have to parade through his brain with drums at the same time? He had been feeling so good up to that point, too.

Someone decided to yell something and he cracked open an eye to glare them silent. It took him a moment to recognize Hotohori, and once he did he frowned and glared around to find out where the hell he was.

"Fuuuuck," he groaned and tried to sit up only to find he was already half way there. "Where th' hell am I?"

"You don't know?" Hotohori smiled as he realized the bandit likely had no idea what he was wearing. It still didn't make sense, but it was funny.

This sort of amusement would end when the summoning was completed. He hated to think he'd miss the bandits but...

"I imagine you took advantage of the palace tab?"

Tasuki grabbed his head, waving a hand at Hotohori. "Shh, not so damned loud," he grumbled then frowned as he found something metalic in his hair. Jerking whatever it was out, he glared at it for a moment, not too sure what it was and tossed it aside. "Yeah, me and Kouji had a few drinks. What is with the big fucking grin? Ya like seein' me in pain?"

"Only a little."

Hotohori bent over and picked up one of the decorations Tasuki had tossed aside, recognizing it instantly as Nuriko's. He began to laugh, unable to stop, but trying to breathe.

"I...think...you...should...get...off...my...throne!" he chuckled between gasps for air.

Tasuki quirked a brow at Hotohori. "Are ya okay? Somebody under that robe a yours ticklin' yer ass with a feather or somethin'?" He looked confused for a moment longer before his patience began to fade.

"Arright, asshole, what's so god damned funny?!" He got to his feet and tripped over a bit of cloth and tumbled down the dias, dragging Hotohori with him.

"Ugh, what th' hell? Did I trip in yer dress?" he asked as he noticed a bright colored woman's skirt hooked over Hotohori's knee.

Rolling over with laughter, Hotohori found himself unable to answer. He hadn't laughed so hard in... well, ever! His ministers rushed in at that moment, becoming witness to an unbelievable scene.

"Your Highness! I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were with a... woman."

"What an... interesting choice. She's very unique looking."

Hotohori shook his head, trying to speak but finding himself perfectly unable.

Tasuki frowned up at the men who stumbled in, "What fuckin' woman? It's just me an' Hoto-kun," he glared at Hotohori, "Yer advisors are fuckin' insane; seein' women what ain't..."

Tasuki went completely still, his eyes wide on his own lap and the blatantly feminine dress that was attatched to him. "GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Hotohori wiped tears from his eyes, and helped Tasuki to his feet. "I think your friends are not so kind."

The advisors huddled together, far away from the ugly woman/cross dressing bandit. They moved to the side, avoiding him and his gaze.

"We've a little more to do today before the summoning. Would you see to it that you're dressed... appropriately for the ceremony?"

Tasuki glared at Hotohori and picked up his skirt, looking under it for a moment before dropping it swiftly back to the floor with a dark blush on his face. He was completely naked under the skirt. It clicked in that moment; he knew exctly who was devious and brave enough to do this to him.

He turned and ran from the room, racing down the hallway. "NURIKO! YER A DEAD MAN!"

***

The night had been long, confusing, exhausting. Her arms ached from the night before, fighting off Kouji. Miaka was awakened by priests and maids, hurrying her to get ready. The priests explained the exact details of the ceremony and how her morning would begin.

A small meal, barely enough to satiate her tremendous hunger, but it was all she was allowed. The priest explained that she needed to purify herself and meditate for some hours before donning her ceremonial robes and summoning the beast god, Suzaku. She let them lead her about, not really sure what was going on, but trying to do her best.

The courtyard was empty and quiet. Guards were posted everywhere. Probably protecting the summoning that was to come, she assumed.

The maids had brought her to a sacred area where she was supposed to bathe and meditate. After she went inside they exited, closing the curtain at the entrance. With a small sigh, she walked over the stone to the water. Miaka took a quick look around, making sure no one was in here with her, then dropped her robe and stepped into the pool of water.

It was warm, soothing... it smelled a bit of salt but there was also a flowery aroma that lingered. She moved around a bit, trying to think about going home. 'Prepare for your wishes!' the Priest had said. _But what do I wish for?_

A tiny meowing and what sounded like footsteps were nearing her. "Huh? Is someone there?" She sunk down into the water, waiting. Tama-neko happily bounded towards her, meowing. "Ahhh it's you!" She moved to the shallow end of the pool so she could kneel in the water beside the kitty. She scratched him behind the ear, giggling. "I suppose you'd like a wish too, wouldn't you? What would a kitty want? Probably a lot of fish."

In this sappy-numbskull infested palace, it hadn't been very hard to locate the priestess on the day of the summoning. The palace was abuzz with talk of 'Miaka-sama and her warriors', and Ji-hime didn't even have to try to get the priestess's attendants to slip up. Some were worried, some hopeful, all were curious and excited, and as for Miboshi, she didn't want to admit it, even to herself, but she was feeling it too. Nothing anywhere near this interesting had happened in several lifetimes, and now... Well, this was almost something like goosebumps or that fluttering butterfly feeling she'd heard of, wasn't it? Though she'd never really been fond of butterflies, actually.

Slipping aside the silken veil that separated the priestess's sacred space from the rest of the opulent palace, Miboshi peered inside to see the young otherworldly girl in a state of undress, purifying herself for the ceremony to come. A smile, a cold, calculating thing when worn on her face, tugged up the corner of her mouth.

Within seconds, it vanished, replaced by an unassuming expression, and she headed into the incense-filled room. Sunlight streamed inside from large open windows, and Ji looked up at them curiously, before looking down into the water and stopping in her tracks with a start.

"Ah!"

She pressed her hand to her chest and took a moment to catch her breath.

"Miaka-sama... I apologize, I was looking for the palace's bathing area. I didn't know that this was the sacred meditation pool of Suzaku no Miko." She backed up and bowed deeply. "Please forgive my intrusion."

Miaka dunked herself in the water when the sound of a voice reached her ears. She popped her head back up, spotting Ji. She seemed extremely upset about intruding. Maybe this was a good chance to talk to the woman that Tamahome liked so much.

"Oh, it's okay. I was worried it was some peeping Tom coming to spy on me," she giggled, petting Tama-neko again.

"I've just been trying to figure out what to do when I summon Suzaku. I want to make sure Konan and everyone here is safe. I'd like to know that you and Tamahome and the others can be happy. But what do I want, then? I'm not a kitty." She closed her eyes, trying to sort it out but found her thoughts as cloudy as usual.

"The other two... I don't know. I thought that maybe there'd be some clear sign telling me what to wish for. But I just keep thinking about... someone I love." Tama-neko meowed, as if to express his annoyance.

She couldn't hide the sadness in her voice. This whole journey had been like a fantasy adventure. She loved this place, not just because she was important but because it had somehow filled in a hole in her heart.

The girl was having romantic-troubles. It was the perfect opening. Incense rose visibly in the sunlight, framing her face, and Ji, timidly at first, moved closer to the pool.

"Sou told me a bit… about the summoning."

She sidled up slowly.

"You don't know what to wish for?"

Miaka shook her head, staring up at Ji. She was lovely and kind, the perfect example of what a Princess should be.

"I want to wish for peace for Konan. I'll need to make sure my brother and Tetsuya get home with me. Yui-chan too, if she's here. Even that leaves me with a wish."

She reached for a bottle of green liquid she assumed to be shampoo and poured a blob into her palms. The flowery smell wafted up at her as she rubbed it into her hair. "What would you wish for?"

"Allow me," Ji offered.

She touched the girl's hands to stop her progress, then massaged the floral shampoos and oils into her hair as she spoke.

"Me? I suppose… I'd wish…"

She had many options here; all of them had the potential to bring about sympathy, information, or both. Nudging this conversation in a direction that could benefit her would be simple.

"I'd wish for Sou and I to be happy forever," she replied wistfully.

Ugh, those words left an awful taste in her mouth. They were full of so much sugar and sentiment she felt as if her teeth would rot. She finished with Miaka's hair and dipped her hands into the water to clean them off.

"That's romantic," Miaka sighed and allowed Ji to work the shampoo into her hair, then dunked underneath the water and shook her head to work the lather away.

"Don't you have someone like that?"

"I have... someone. Or, at least, I used to. I don't really know anymore." She tried to brush the thought away and stay cheerful. "It doesn't really matter. I'll be heading back home and away from here."

So it would take a bit of teasing to extract what she needed. She could be patient. With her best 'sympathetic-face' on, Ji pressed her gently.

"You had someone? What happened?"

"It's nothing really!" Miaka's face felt hot, remembering the admission that Tasuki loved someone else. A male someone. A male someone who Ji herself loved.

"I thought he felt stronger than he did. He has someone else he cares about so I hope he can be happy, like you and Sou." It was easy to talk to Ji, but perhaps that was just because she had such a calming feel to her.

"Things were much more simple for me back home."

Ji's face took on an understanding frown.

"Are you sure? He told you so?"

Miaka thought hard about their conversation. "Well, he didn't say it straight out. When I told him how I felt... he needed to think. I overheard the other stuff later."

Her face was feeling flushed again as she poured out her heart to someone who was almost a stranger. She hoped that Ji-hime would have some sort of advice for her, being older, wiser and in a more happy relationship.

"Well then, it isn't for sure," Ji replied, perking up.

She gave Miaka a smile and slithered up closer to the edge of the bath. She found herself vaguely curious as to who this guy might be, but she didn't really have to know now, did she?

"You still have time to make him understand how you feel."

Just a bit further…

"I don't know if I should..." Miaka closely watched her new friend as she tried to help. For a Princess, Ji was very sweet and sincere. The curiousity over took her and she had to ask.

"How?"

Ji placed a finger to her lips and looked up through the skylights as she appeared to search for her answer.

"I had a hard time getting through to Sou until..." she paused, looking just a touch sheepish, "Until I kissed him."

Miaka searched her brain for how a kiss could fix things. She'd kissed Tasuki several times now but it only seemed to be confusing him more.

"We've already kissed... unless I did something wrong. What happened with you and Sou?" She got out of the water, drying off and wrapping her robe back around her so that she could sit beside Ji while they talked.

_Damn. Who cares about Sou and I?_

She bit back her frustration and smiled prettily. "Sou and I went to the festival last night. I had a wonderful time, and I think he did too. I'm hoping that he might, one day, ask me to marry him," she gushed.

Before Miaka could make any comments about her marriage back-up plan, Ji turned the tables back into their original position.

"But, enough about me, after all, I'm not the one in need of some romantic help here, right?" she said, smiling good-naturedly. If she was going to continue this farce, she'd need to show some genuine interest in the situation, and that meant having to ask. "Who is this guy who doesn't understand your feelings, even after you've kissed him?"

Miaka felt a happiness as Ji gushed on about Tamahome, sharing in her joy. It was that sort of romance she wanted in her life. She just wanted Tasuki to say 'I love you' one time before she left their world forever.

"He is... one of my seishi. I wasn't sure how to feel about him when we first met, but now I've come to rely on and trust him. There's no one else I'd rather have at my side."

She heard footsteps outside, realizing the maids would probably be coming soon to help dress her and get her to the temple for the summoning.

"I guess I don't have much time to win his heart, though. The summoning will be starting soon. I'd probably have to rely on a magic spell to clear the gunk out of his head," she laughed, imagining cobwebs pouring out one of Tasuki's ears.

Ji too heard the movement of servants nearby. Her time was running out as well. As luck would have it, idle chitchat would have to cease.

"With Sou, it was just like a magic spell."

The irony of that sentence brought her a certain degree of mental mirth.

"Maybe there's something in the way you kissed him that wasn't quite right," she offered.

Ji lapsed into silence for just a moment as she seemed to think. It was time to play the miko's insecurities like a harp. After all, all young girls have an abundance of it, don't they?

"I could show you," she said, quietly, "If you show me how you kissed him…" she looked into Miaka's eyes, "I can show you what I do differently."

Miaka hesitated for just a moment, unsure how to proceed. She would be kissing another girl... but maybe Ji-hime could help her after all. "Okay..."

She wanted Tasuki to love her back.

"I kissed him like this..." she leaned forward to kiss Ji-hime, softly but a bit panicked. When she leaned back again she studied the delicate face of the Princess for any sign of disproval. "What should I do differently?"

Ji seemed lost in thought. Thoughts much kinder than the ones she was actually having. That was laughable. She was much too nervous about kissing her to even make any kind of impression. It was like a child's kiss. It hadn't left her enough time to proceed, but her last words left her an opening. An opening she couldn't pass up.

"More like…" Ji placed a hand softly on the back of Miaka's head, "This…"

She closed her eyes, leaned in, and pressed her lips against the girl's. It was much the same as she had kissed Sou, full of feigned tenderness, passion, and similar vulnerable feelings. This time, however, was different. Summoned from the depths of her being, Miboshi extracted a piece of her soul, the merest bit of her will. She coaxed her essence into her mouth, then breathed it through the open channel and into the miko's body.

Satisfied that her energy was securely in place, she pulled away and opened her amber eyes.

"Wow! No wonder Tamahome fell in love with you."

Miaka felt a bit embarassed admitting that Ji's kiss was so good. She could tell something was different about it, her whole body felt strange now. Strange... but not unpleasant.

"Miaka-sama? Are you ready?" A voice called from the doorway. None of the maids would enter this sacred place without the permission of Miaka or the Emperor.

"Oh, yes! Just a moment!" her voice rang back. With a grin, she took Ji's hands in her own. "Thank you so much for helping me. I won't ever forget it." She hugged Ji before tightening the robe and heading to the door with a last wave.

Miboshi watched the girl go through half-lidded eyes.

"Neither will I," she said to herself, licking her lips.

***

Tamahome woke in the morning with nothing but hope and love filling his heart. The previous night had been wonderful, more than he could have possibly imagined. Yuiren and Chuei woke up with him, how could they have not? He had woken himself up laughing.

The day began brighter than any he could imagine. Tamahome gave both of his siblings a bear hug before he got out of the bed and went about dressing with a song in his heart and on his lips. Today could go down in history books, in legends, as the best day of his life. Not only was today the summoning, but after the summoning, he was going to ask Ji to marry him. He would get his country and his love (hoping beyond hope that she'd say yes) in one day. Who could ask for anything more?

He ran a hand through his hair and made sure he was looking ok before he kissed his kids and went out to search for the people who understood this summoning better than he did.

"Good morning, Tamahome-kun, no da."

Chichiri's perpetually smiling face greeted the teal-haired seishi. He'd been on his way to rouse his fellow celestial-warriors to prepare for the summoning, and, as luck would have it, Tamahome was emerging from his room just as he came down the hall.

"You seem to be in high spirits, no da."

Tamahome couldn't help but smile at the comment. This morning was better than 'good.'

"Morning," he waved a hand to the approaching monk, "I was just going to look for you, Chichiri. I wanted to know if we needed to be preparing in any way for the summoning."

In the short time they were all together, he seemed the one who knew the most about the legend and procedures.

"Most of the prepartions are being taken care of by the palace servants, no da. But I do need to speak to all of you about conduct during the ceremony, no da." Chichiri paused and appraised his fellow seishi. "I'm glad you're taking an interest, Tamahome-kun, no da."

Leaning on his staff, he glanced swiftly from side to side at the doorways to the different rooms. The quicker they could begin, the sooner he could put his mind at ease.

"It'll be easier if I can explain to everyone at once, no da. Mitsukake is the only one I've gotten a hold of so far. We're meeting up outside the temple, no da. Hotohori-sama should be there soon. If you could help me gather the others, it'd be a big help, na no da."

Tasuki hightailed it around the corner, streaking down the hall towards his room. He was desperate to get out of that god damned dress before anyone saw him. It was bad enough that Hotohori and that damned group of piss-ant advisors had seen him (and said he was an ugly girl, but he'd overlook that for now). He didn't want to see anyone else until the dress was a pile of smoking cinders.

Unfortunately for all involved, he spotted two figures that were rapidly growing to look a little too much like Tamahome and Chichiri for his liking. Skidding to a stop, Tasuki tried to make a more dignified entrance.

Straightening his... skirt... Tasuki stiffened his shoulders and breathed a sigh of defeat. "Mornin'. You guys are up kinda early. Time t'do that damned summonin' arready?"

_Please, don't say it. I know I got a god damned dress on and as soon as this fuckin' summonin' is over Nuriko is a fuckin' dead man._

Chichiri could do nothing but stare as one of the seven sacred warriors of Suzaku paraded down the hallway between himself and Tamahome in what appeared to be, no, definitely was, a pink dress. He studied the pearl earrings and the painstakingly applied makeup with a sweat drop.

"Anou... Tasuki-kun, did someone tell you that was the uniform for the summoning, no da?"

Tamahome stared for a full minute in a mixture of confusion, horror, and amusement before it settled into him as pure unadulterated comedy.

"AHGHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he burst out laughing, grabbing his stomach as tears rolled to his eyes. "Who... Ahahahahaha HAhahaha who did... PFAHAahHhhAHAHAHa... Nuri-hahaha-ko?" Tamahome tried to speak between gasps for air.

The laughter from Tamahome was annoying, but the question Chichiri asked caused his teeth to clench. "What kinda idiot do ya take me for? Ya think I'd believe someone if'n they said a goddamned _**DRESS**_ was the uniform? If'n yer lookin' for idiots, look at the one laughin' his fuckin' head off. Bet _he'd_ believe a goddamned dress was the uniform."

Turning his attention to Tamahome, he growled and bonked Tamahome's head. "SHADDAP! Arright, arright, ya got yer fuckin' laugh at my expense. Get over it. It ain't that damned funny!" He whacked Tamahome again then glared at him, hands on his hips and his red painted lips turned down in a frown. "Baka!"

Chichiri rubbed his cheek with his forefinger and sweat dropped. He couldn't well tell Tasuki that he _had_ thought he was stupid enough to believe something like that. Best to just try to ignore his... ensemble and move on.

"We're getting ready to head to the temple, no da. Miaka-sama will be along for the summoning soon, no da. Anou, Tamahome-kun, can you look for Chiriko while I help Tasuki with his..." _Don't say dress, don't say dress._ "Skirt, no da?"

Tasuki leapt back as Chichiri offered to help him with his *growl* skirt and clenched a hand to his chest. "H-hentai!"

_Daaa..._

Tamahome rubbed his head. He frowned and looked at Tasuki through the side of one eye.

"So no one told you, you just wear things like that for fun?" he asked, trying to get the facts straight.

Tasuki looked hilarious, claiming that he wasn't something to be laughed at while pouting with pretty, pretty Tasuki-chan rouged lips. The laugh was pushing at his lips again, but Tamahome held it in. Chichiri was giving him instructions and he was in a good mood. Let Tasuki get away with it this time; it didn't mean he wouldn't store it in his mind for later.

He nodded to the monk and turned to go before Tasuki could come back with anything.

Tasuki would have said more, but Tama-fuckin'-home decided to be a smart ass. He opened his mouth to yell, but Tamahome walked away. That was it! Just _walked away_ like it was nothing! That bastard could at least have hung around long enough for a few good punches! He wibbled as a thought occurred to him; Tamahome probably didn't fight women and bandits who were dressed as women probably fit in that catergory too.

He turned furious eyes to Chichiri, glad that he had at least one person to vent at. "Well? Come th' fuck on! Ya think I enjoy standin' around in th' goddamned hallway in this? Yer helpin' me figure out how th' fuck to get outta this an' then yer gonna help me find and mutilate Nuriko fer doin' this t'me."

Grabbing the monk by the arm, Tasuki flung Chichiri over his shoulder and stalked down the hall towards his room.

Kicking open the door, Tasuki stepped inside and dropped the smiling monk on the empty bunk. "Ya breathe a word 'a this to anybody an' I'll shove yer damned 'Happy Face' in a place even th' sun don't shine," he growled, hands on hips and a frown turning his lips down.

Chichiri wasn't about to tell the angry bandit that even if he didn't say anything, Tamahome-kun had still been front-row for his performance. He just produced that familiar sweat drop, nodded, and said, "Understood, no da. Now let's get you out of that dress and into something appropriate for the summoning, no da."

The monk burst into four smiling chibi-monks. One clung to Tasuki's back and undid the clasps and ties for the dress. Two shoved at his legs and pushed him toward a seat. The last sat on his head and seemed to do nothing.

Tasuki tottered on his feet for a moment, surprised to see one normal looking man split into four scarily happy children-sized versions. He allowed the two pushing at his legs to plop him into a chair and twitched his head in an effort to remove the one that had attached himself to his head.

"Err, uh, Chiri... number uh... whatever. Wouldn't it be better fer me t'be standin' so's this damned skirt can come off'a me?" His head twitched again, trying to dislodge the chibi monk from his head with more vigor.

The dress did feel looser now that he thought about it, glancing down his front, he noted that the dress was looser but nowhere near coming off. "Um, I think you kids need t'bring Kitsune-chan back. Ya ain't old enough t'be lookin' at nobody naked an' once this dress comes off that's what I'm gonna be." When the chibi monks seemed to ignore him, he grumbled. "Arright, I said GIT!"

To remedy this, all four jumped onto his chest and shoved him down, in the same instance, two more appeared and yoinked the dress off with amazing ease. If living with Taiitsu-kun had taught him anything, it was how the Nyan-Nyans dealt with guests, and despite their questionable methods, they were nothing if not efficient. (Besides, it was nice to not be on the receiving end for once, no da!)

The two discarded the dress, and then grabbed hold of his arms to pull him back up to a seated position. The other four disappeared and reappeared behind him to help out by shoving him up. Once this was accomplished, all of them but one stood before Tasuki and produced small buckets full of water.

"Now hold still, no da."

One after another they appeared above his head, dumped water on him, and then went back into line. Upon his head sat the makeup remover, who leaned over and rubbed off the makeup quickly. He would disappear when a bucket upturned, then reappear the next instant to continue his job.

Tasuki didn't know which was worse; being drowned by children or standing naked being drowned by children, but for some reason when Chichiri had told him to hold still, he'd unconsciously followed the direction. Now which was worse? Being drowned or doing it willingly!?

After the first few buckets had left him sputtering, he got the hang of holding his breath when the tiny weight on his head would go away. He hated to admit it, but this seemed to be taking less time than if he had tried to do it himself. Nuriko's dress would definitely have ended up scraps and he probably wouldn't have gotten the make up off as efficiently, but did they really have to use cold water?

His head still ached a bit from the large amounts of alcohol he'd consumed and so far, nothing that happened today would let the ache fade completely.

Once Tasuki's face was clean, the Chichiri on his head set to toweling off his hair and combing it, while the others carried in his new outfit: a red silk undershirt, a gray short sleeved over-shirt, and a green sash with what appeared to be gold peacock feathers upon it.

They presented the clothing to him and waited for him to take it from them.

Blinking at the outfit that was presented to him, Tasuki reached out a hand and took the offering. "Are you sure this is for me?" he asked, his accent fading in his surprise. "This is real nice, thanks, Kitsune-chan."

Shaking his head, he reached up with his free hand and plucked his head-monk off and dropped him on the bed. "Arright," he grinned, his accent returning, "Lemme pull this on an' we c'n get movin'! Heh, let's see Tama laugh at me in these nice threads!"

Putting words into actions, Tasuki quickly pulled on the garments offered to him. "Uh, Ya wanna help me tie this sash thing? I ain't too used t'wearin' this kinda get-up."

In another poof of magic, the chibis vanished, leaving Chichiri standing at his full height once more. He stood behind Tasuki and set to tying the green sash correctly. It should have taken far less time than it actually did, but Chichiri's hands were moving slowly. Everything was about to change. Miaka-sama would leave. The Suzaku seishi would no longer be needed. Peace would be restored to Konan. He couldn't hope to guess at what Tasuki might be feeling, but for his own part, a bit of melancholy had settled over him.

"I hope we can remain friends after the summoning, no da," Chichiri said.

Tasuki grinned over his shoulder at the monk. "Are ya crazy?" he turned and gripped Chichiri's shoulders. "Look, like I explained it to Tama; we're brothers an' brothers are always there for each other. I might not know everybody all that well, but the way I see it, we're all a family. Brothers in Suzaku, na?"

Grinning at the monk again, Tasuki turned back around so that Chichiri could finish tying the sash. "Besides, I'm prob'ly gonna see if there's anything I c'n do 'round here. My bandits are all dead an' the mountain will be fine without me for a while."

Tasuki had really said that to Tamahome? Chichiri couldn't help but feel proud of him.

"I'm sure we can find something for you to around here, no da. I was also thinking of taking a journey myself, no da. Perhaps you might join me?"

Tasuki's grin inched wider and he slung an arm around Chichiri's neck. Pulling him down into a headlock, Tasuki proceeded to scrub his knuckles on Chichiri's head. "Good idea! This journey involve some action and adventure? I'm up for it!" he crowed, as he released Chichiri from his grasp.

"All done, no da," Chichiri said as he finished the job. "You look good, no da," he added.

"Hell, I gotta look better than before! Dresses suck ass, but they swish kinda ni- let's go!" Grabbing Chichiri's hand, Tasuki bolted for the door and down the hall before he stopped to realize that he had no idea where he was going. "Uh, you wanna lead? I'unno where th' hell we're goin'."

Despite the burning sensation on his scalp, Chichiri found himself smiling beneath the mask. He shook his head and sighed.

"This way, no da," Chichiri said, heading down the hallway with his brother-seishi.

A single chibi servant Chichiri stayed behind, drying the floor with a rag and mumbling to himself.

***

Ou was, as usual since he had arrived at the palace, lost in the intricate maze of corridors and buildings. Being as young as he was, when he accidentally intruded into places, he was usually forgiven and sent in the right direction by someone. To those that have been following his story, then, that he was lost in the area near the bath is nothing surprising. They will nod their heads and wait for him to bump into someone important. True to form, he did so. Luckily for him, it was not the Priestess. Not so luckily for him, it was the female detail looking out at the bath to make sure the Priestess stayed pure.

Thus, when the confused child wandered around the corner, he was greeted with a stare that would normally have been reserved for a bandit sneaking about in the women's quarters. Unaware of where he was, Ou approached rather than retreated, hoping to get some direction.

"What are you doing here?" the matron said, looking down at him.

"I'm lost. I'm trying to find the shrine to Suzaku in the palace."

The matron looked at him. There was no way someone could get this far lost, in her opinion, which meant something else. He'd come to spy on the girl. Considering he was about thirteen, it was probably about that time in his life. She was just about to give him a solid scolding when someone said "The priestess is ready now."

"Consider yourself lucky, boy. There's no show for you today, so I'll let you go without beating you. The priestess has to go to the shrine to summon the god."

Ou brightened a bit. "Oh, good. You know the way, then. Can I accompany you?"

The matron shook her head. "Definitely not. The priestess is to remain pure through the summoning."

"Well, if you could tell me how to get there, then..."

"Go back the way you came, and ask someone else. This path is specifically for the priestess to walk."

Ou turned around... and despaired. There was no way he could find his way back to anywhere familiar. And there were people waiting for him where he was supposed to go. Now what would he do?

Tamahome had just turned the corner when he realized that he had no clue who Chiriko was. He seemed to remember him a bit vaguely from the dinner, or certainly someone saying something about him at the dinner. Unfortunately, that memory was over shadowed by the two bandit's utter ridiculousness. What was wrong with them? Hotohori-sama was their Emperor! How could they possibly have that much disregard for their god? In any case, he turned on his heal and went back to ask Chichiri where he should look and for whom. The monk, however had disappeared.

Tamahome blinked. It was only a few seconds and already Tasuki and the monk were gone. At a loss of where to go, Tamahome just wandered. Maybe the person would be wearing....something red? He sighed and dropped his head in shame. The good mood was quickly leaving him.

Sulking through the hallways with his head down was probably not the best way to find anyone, but it turned out better than he thought. Tamahome had taken a step when he collided with a small boy.

"Oh! Sorry," he held the boy steady by the shoulders as he apologized.

Ou wandered the hallways, trying to keep track of the turns that he made in search of anyone who could direct him to where he was supposed to go, but it looked like everyone was gathering to watch the summoning. Even some of the guards had changed their routes. Wandering around wasn't the best way of getting un-lost, but occasionally it worked. Such was the case when he bumped solidly into someone.

"Oh, excuse me." Ou took a look at who had bumped into him. He was differently-dressed that most of the palace staff. He might be someone from the town come in to watch the summoning. Or he might be just as lost as Ou was.

"It's ok, I wasn't looking either."

Tamahome smiled politely down as he apologized.

The boy had the tell tale signs of a scholar, but he was too young, right? Tamahome considered asking about Chiriko. Who knows if the boy would know anything, but maybe it was worth a shot.

"I'm looking for someone, a man who should have arrived recently. Are you familiar with the palace at all?"

Ou laughed. "No, not at all. I only recently got here, and I still can't find my way around, even with a map. But there are a lot of people coming in, since there's been declarations that the summoning of Suzaku is at hand. I was supposed to go to the temple for the festivities, but I must have made a wrong turn somewhere. Do you know what the person you're looking for is supposed to look like?"

Tamahome laughed. The boy was polite and kind. He found himself wondering what Chuei would be like in a few years. Unfortunately, the boy was also obviously lost. He supposed it was a bad idea to keep up the questioning, but he shrugged and did so anyway. Who else was here to ask?

"To the temple? I didn't realize that anyone but the seishi could go in." Tamahome put his finger to his lip and thought about it for a moment. "I didn't get a description before the monk took off, but he may be going by the name Chiriko," he explained to the young boy, the futility of the search slowly creeping up on him.

Ou nodded. "Well, that must mean that Suzaku blesses you. There was a monk who said I was Chiriko some time ago. I still don't really believe him, but I couldn't tell him no. He was convinced. So I guess you're looking for me, then."

Tamahome's eyes went wide and his face broke out inot a grin.

"Great!"

Never mind that the boy seemed to have no clue he was a part of this; if Chichiri labeled him as such, then it was good enough for Tamahome. He grabbed the boy by the arm and raced down the halls to the gardens where the shrine waited.

***

After the escort back to her room, Miaka was beginning to feel overwhelmed by all the people fussing over her. With her hair and make-up finally finished, she could do the rest of her dressing alone.

"Excuse me but... I'd like to be alone please."

The women looked around, confused by the request. "Oh no, you must have an assistant!"

She was stuck; none of her seishi could assist and she didn't know any women except...

"Fine, then. Can you go and find me Ji-hime? She can help me. Until then I'd like to be alone." She pushed everyone out the door, despite their protests, waiting for Ji-hime to show up. They were almost ready for the summoning and there was no way she'd be able to see Tasuki alone before everything took place.

Snatching up her clothing she changed behind the folding screen in the room. When she returned to the mirror she couldn't believe her eyes. She looked almost elegant... regal... like a Princess.

She adjusted the ornaments in her hair with a giggle and twirled around. "I wonder if I'll show up in Tokyo dressed like this. It would be great to keep these clothes. Not that I'd have anywhere to wear them."

Beautiful. Absolutely brilliant. This had been an unexpected turn of events in her favor. Summoned to the Suzaku child's side, Ji eagerly accepted such an honor. She was ushered into the room by a gaggle of attendants, and she shut the door quietly behind herself.

"Hello again, Miaka-sama," Ji said by way of greeting. She bowed her head, for what should be the very last time, and made her way over to the girl.

"Were they overly attentive?"

She adjusted a gold bird-shaped ornament in Miaka's hair.

"They get that way when they're excited. It must be the way they're born," she joked, lightly.

"They were all very nice, really, but they were making me nervous." Miaka sighed a little, but with a smile.

She sat down at her stool and looked up at Ji-hime. "I won't get a chance to say goodbye to the one I love before I'm gone. I was wondering... could you tell him for me? After the summoning, I mean."

Her heart thudded against her chest and she found herself blushing yet again.

That would certainly be the end of the world, wouldn't it? If things worked out as they should, she'd have plenty of time to tell him herself. The girl could even engage in selling herself to him in matriony and produce many useless offspring. For Ji's part, however, she was supposed to be the 'big sister female friend' type, and so the expression of the moment was something like "Oh no, that's awful."

"I will tell him, but... are you certain you won't have a chance to tell him yourself?"

"I... I don't think so."

She looked at herself in the mirror again, admiring the fancy clothing. This was the day she'd been waiting for. She could finally go home and see Yui-chan again.

"It's Genrou that I've fallen in love with. If I don't get a chance to do it, you'll let him know that I'll miss him?"

There was a tap at the door indicating it was time they head for the temple. She held onto Ji's hand, feeling extremely nervous.

Even peasantry could clean up nicely, and Suzaku no Miko was no exception. Having been both princess and pauper, Miboshi bore no real attachment to her station in life, but carrying the mindset of a sixteen year old princess for the majority of her lifetime had rubbed off on her, even if just a little. She dashed a bit of glitter into the girl's face with a soft brush as a finishing touch.

"I'll tell him, don't worry. I just wish..." she trailed off.

When the knock at the door came, Ji squeezed the girl's hand reassuringly. She nodded to her with a gentle smile and helped her up out of the seat.

Miaka held tightly to Ji's hand as the door opened and they made their way outside. She would be heading to the temple any moment. She took another look at Ji and smiled sweetly.

"Thank you."


	32. Chapter 31

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Eiyou Palace Temple

Hotohori waited outside the entrance to the temple for Chichiri to arrive. The monk had special instructions to relay to each seishi about how the summoning would work and he needed everyone together before it would begin.

Guards were littered about the gardens, ensuring that no one would get to close to the temple without his request. There were extra guards posted at Nakago's door (and the doors of his envoy) to guarantee he not learn of the summoning or interfere. He had rather hoped Kaen would be bringing Miaka's brother and the blind one along with her. Kaen had the essence of Seiryuu, or so Chichiri suspected, but she was trustworthy.

So far just he and Mitsukake stood outside the entrance to the temple. Five more needed to join them. Tamahome, Tasuki, Chiriko, Nuriko and Chichiri. In the distance he noticed a gaggle of maids swarmed around someone, leading them inside to dress.

_It's probably Miaka. I wonder if she has considered my..._ He let the thought go unfinished. He didn't truly want to know if Miaka had no love for him. Better he assume Suzaku wouldn't allow her to stay and keep his dignity intact.

Turning to Mitsukake, the Emperor sighed. "I wonder how much longer we have to wait."

Mitsukake shrugged disinterestedly. He'd been standing around here with the Emperor for too long as it was. It wasn't exactly like he had anything better to do, but if he had known no one else would show up on time, he could have spent some more time sleeping.

"How long is the summoning supposed to take?" he asked.

"I'm not sure how long it will take... probably not long. Miaka simply has to recite the spell. We focus our energy on her. Then Suzaku should grant her three wishes."

Or so he'd heard.

Mitsukake heard a familiar mewing and Tama-chan bounded up. He lowered his muscular arm and let the kitty leap up onto his shoulder. Tama produced a series of meows, which seemed to be his attempt to speak with the healer. Once he finished, Mitsukake rubbed underneath Tama's chin, and the cat closed his eyes and purred in response.

"The miko's coming, at least," he stated, simply.

Nuriko yawned, stretching as he rubbed his arms, making his way towards the two figures near the temple. He soon realized it was Hotohori-sama and Mitsukake, the doctor/drunk/cat loving guy.

So far the maids were quiet about the dressed up seishi Nuriko had so cleverly placed in His Emperor's throne. Maybe Tasuki hadn't been discovered yet?

Smiling at the Emperor, Nuriko waved gently as he approached. Word had reached him from a servant that it was today the summoning would definitely take place. Hopefully the Shogun and his soldiers wouldn't get word about it before it had already happened. Even better if not at all.

Nuriko wondered what Miaka would wish for. Perhaps he'd be so lucky to get one of her wishes? Nuriko wouldn't mind becoming a full fledged gir- Nah.... that would be downright selfish... but still!

"Good morning, Hotohori-sama, Mitsukake." Nuriko bowed gently and then straightened, yawning again.

When Nuriko approached with a sly smile Tasuki's interesting choice of dress this morning made more sense. Hotohori smiled, trying to remain calm while they waited. He chuckled a little. "So we have you to thank for Tasuki's appearance this morning, do we?"

"Yes!" Nuriko beamed, glad someone had found the bandit dressed so frilly. "He got drunk last night and I decided to take the chance to have a little fun with our bandit seishi!"

He looked over at the cleaned up Mitsukake. The kitty he'd met on the road seemed a perfect fit for the seishi. Maybe he was finally getting his act together?

"The ceremony will take place this morning, right?"

"That's correct. The others will arrive soon so that we may take our places and await Miaka's arrival."

Hotohori looked off into the distance, watching for any of the other Seishi potentially heading their direction. How strange, to be scared for the safety of the Miko without knowing what would happen to her.

The monk approached the temple, wearing an outfit to match the bandit's. Everything was now in place, except for... His head swished from side to side as he approached the group.

"Tamahome-kun hasn't shown up with Chiriko yet, no da?"

Seeing the streak of dark blue trailing a child-sized comet behind him, one might have thought that Tamahome was the one blessed with speed from Suzaku. He nearly stumbled as he skidded to a stop in front of the shrine doors. The poor boy was set down, unsteadily, on his feet and Tamahome stared up in wonder at the golden bird that perched atop the roof. His heart skipped in patters as his nerves tensed. A wide smile threatened to tear at his cheeks. The best day of his life was about to start.

Chiriko had tried to keep track of the twists and turns as his benefactor zipped through the labyrinth of the palace area, but eventually the speed got to him and he gave up and watched the palace and its people fly by. After a quick turn, his carrier skidded to a halt, leaving Ou to figure out how not to fall over or hit anything as his acceleration went from quick to zero. Having a slightly lower center of gravity, Ou wobbled violently as he came to a halt, but managed to avoid falling on his face.

He looked up at his destination, the shrine of Suzaku, with the phoenix perched atop. Almost blinded by the reflection, Ou turned to look at all the people assembled, including the Emperor. The presence of so many resplendent people made him feel very small. Even with his dress, he felt like a provincial boy trying to reach beyond his station.

It was then that Miaka approached the shrine, trying to stay close to Ji to ease her nervousness. She tried to walk towards everyone looking as regal and noble as possible.

Her eyes took in the dignified appearance of each of her friends and her smile couldn't be contained. "Wow! Look at all of you!" She tugged on Chichiri's sleeve and then stretched Mitsukake's face. "You all look so good!" she giggled before seeing the horrified looks on the faces of the advisors that had followed her.

She felt her face go red with embarrassment and tried to laugh it off. Miaka looked into Tasuki's eyes momentarily and then looked away. _Does he think I look pretty? No... he doesn't have any feelings for me, really. He likes..._ She looked over at Tamahome with a sweet smile. At least he and Ji-hime would end up getting a happy ever after.

She wanted to get started but had to look around and make sure everyone was assembled first. "Where's my brother and Tetsuya? They need to be here so I can make sure we all go back together!"

Tasuki stayed behind Chichiri, not really feeling all that talkative now that the end was coming. He had been all bravado before, now he was having to watch Miaka treat him like just any other person; he was starting to see just how permanent this summoning was going to make her leaving.

He felt his face heat when she had complimented the group, but was confused as to what the look she had given him had meant. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her how mouthwatering- err... nice she looked, but wasn't sure how she would react. If this was going to be good bye for good...

No, he wouldn't think about that. Now he had to give her his support as a seishi, not worry about never seeing her again.

He moved over to Tamahome's side and smirked as he flung an arm around Tama's shoulders. "Ha! See? She said I looked good. You on th' other hand, look like ya just got attacked by a wind demon. Don'cha got no comb or brush or nothin'? Jeeze, Tama, at least pretend that ya care about yer apperance!" There, that should start a fight so he wouldn't have to think about her.... leaving him behind. _Forever_.

Tamahome twisted his head to the side and flung his shoulder up to shrug off the bandit hanging on him. Dear Suzaku, was he drunk even for the summoning ceremony? That burned a hole right through him.

"That's it!" he turned to Tasuki, his hands twitching in a effort to keep from strangling him.

"What is wrong with you?" he half growled-half whispered, spitting in a desperate attempt to keep his voice down in front of the crowds. "Are you a complete moron, or do you really have that little respect for our Emperor, our Miko, and our GODS?"

He was furious. His previous cloud of good mind came crashing down in a pile of rubble and yet he still took a hand to his hair and smoothed out the no-doubt-windblown-mess that it was. This was his day damnit! Even though it was about Miaka and the country, he felt like a bride that had a tornado invite itself to her ceremony.

Two hands clamped down on Tasuki and Tamahome's shoulders, and they both belonged to Chichiri. His shiny happy smiley face remained as he gave each of them a squeeze with enough force to send the message that if they didn't get along, he'd be the first to take them both down.

"I'm sure Kaen-san will be bringing them along any moment, Miaka-sama. Hotohori-sama, we should all head into the temple and prepare for Miaka-sama, no da."

His eyes traveled over to Suzaku no Miko and the woman standing beside her. It was a bit unsettling to see Ji-hime here at first, but she seemed to only wish to support Miaka, and so he would allow her the benefit of the doubt. At the very least, the Shogun had not decided to drop in, because then he would have had to say something.

"I agree." Hotohori shot Tamahome and Tasuki a look as cold as ice. If they continued to fight like this they would ruin his last memory of Miaka.

"Now, the ceremony is simple. Go inside the temple and each of you take your places around the center where Miaka will be standing. From there, focus all your energy on the Priestess and pray. The fire of Suzaku will be burning brightly in the center." He reached into his sleeve and pulled out the scroll to pass to Miaka.

"Do you all understand? Once the Suzaku no Miko begins to recite the spell we Suzaku Seishi must lower our life force to nothing. This leaves us temporarily defenseless, which is the reason I've called so many guards to cover this area."

He nodded to Chichiri, the only other Seishi he was sure knew the intimate details of how this summoning was to go. "We must go in first and take our places. Miaka, you will follow. Now, let's begin."

The doors to the temple swung open with a clang and the guards stood firmly at attention. Hotohori looked back at the Priestess with a longing in his eyes, concerned for her well being.

His eyes met with hers and he smiled, trying to reassure her. Miaka nodded back, looking as beautiful as he'd always imagined the Priestess to be. She had brought the Princess Tamahome seemed to be interested in with her as an attendant. It was her right to do so, but something about the woman unnerved him. Calmly, he walked into the temple and took his place around the raised platform.

The golden birds around the housing of the sacred flame seemed alive in the flickering light of candles. He waited for the others to enter and began trying to concentrate on the center of the circle and on Miaka, waiting for her to take her place before expending his energy.

Ou stared. Considering he had never seen the inside of a temple before, and that this might be the only chance that he got, he wanted to make sure that he saw all that he could before he went back to his normal life. The fire, surrounded by the phoenixes of Suzaku, was intended to be awe-inspiring. On the floor were the constellations, each of which was supposedly one of the people here. Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko, Chichiri, Tasuki, Mitsukake, Chiriko. Since everyone else seemed to know where they were going, he waited for the others to take their spots, then stood in the one spot that wasn't taken by someone. Seeing the priestess, in her formal regalia, was enough for Ou to try not to stare - this was the same girl he'd seen before, but somehow, she seemed more beautiful. Ou's worries started to rush back at him - the exam, whether he was supposed to do anything or say anything, and how he was supposed to focus his chi. It would be apparent, perhaps, to the monk that his mind was flailing about, trying to figure out something to steady on. It would certainly be evident to the god, and that only reinforced the panic.

Tamahome barely had time to bow his head to the Emperor, and it was not nearly as low as he'd been taught, when Chichiri pushed both him and Tasuki through the doors of the temple.

The golden wings of Suzaku spread out above his chosen warriors as the sacred flame danced within the hungry maw of the cauldron upon the altar. Soon, Miaka-sama would ascend the steps toward the center, and her seishi would disperse into a star-like pattern to watch her recite from the ShiJinTenChiSho in a ritual to call the god of the south, the god of Konan. Once the scroll was burnt to ashes, the ceremony would be complete. There would only be one chance.

Chichiri wheeled Tasuki and Tamahome onto their respective star-patterns which seemed to shine of their own accord in the firelight. He took his place opposite Tamahome, and next to Hotohori. The Emperor was the very last one in line and the only one without another standing across from him. Beside Chichiri and closer to the entrance stood Tasuki and across from him stood Nuriko. Chichiri directed Mitsukake to his constellation, first in line, next to Nuriko, and across from Chiriko's empty spot.

Mitsukake took his place quietly. If someone said they could just head home right now, he'd be happy to jet the hell out of here, but somehow, being here felt natural and 'right', right like happy hour at the bar. Destiny had a way of doing that, he supposed.

Tamahome glanced at the red-head that had been placed diagonally from him and he tried to let go of his anger. It didn't look like the boy was swaying or dipping in anyway, and his speech wasn't slurred – not any more than normal. Maybe he had jumped to conclusions outside.

Tamahome bowed his head, feeling like a fool to have burst out like that in front of the Emperor. Chichiri wasn't too pleased with him right now either. He decided that he would talk, _really talk_, to Tasuki after the summoning. Maybe before he left they might work things out. After this ritual they would probably never see each other again, but Tamahome hated leaving bad blood to flow between him and anyone, even if that other person happened to be a confused, angry, high-tempered brat.

Tasuki grumbled under his breath. His idea had worked... kind of. He'd started an argument and got his mind off of the ache in his chest at the thought of Miaka leaving for good, but he didn't get the chance to fire back at Tama because Chichiri decided to get in the way.

Being dragged into the summoning chamber, Tasuki's attention was taken from his anger by the massive statue of Suzaku. His bandit mind turned over figures as to how much something like that would sell for, how many rations and clothes and medical supplies he'd be able to buy for his men. Tasuki wandered unknowingly from the spot the monk had planted him on in favor of a closer look at the glittering bird.

Chichiri was too busy situating them and answering a few last minute questions to realize one who he had already squared away had wandered from his spot.

Tamahome stood were he was told, reflecting while the others got into position. He caught sight of Miaka as their small crowd cleared. She was breath taking, beautifully stunning, and it was then that he remembered whose day it really was. Good things may be coming for him and (hopefully) his family, but their miko was the one who had to perform today. Miaka was the one who needed to make her wishes and it was her whom Suzaku listened to. Tamahome let go of the annoying thoughts and slowed his mind, concentrating only on visualizing the red burning light inside him.

It wasn't until the entire room went silent that Tasuki realized that everyone was doing something. Glancing around, he noticed that everyone had formed two flanking lines on top of diamond flecks in the carpet. It looked like they were staring at the floor, so he joined them, completely unaware that he had moved from the spot he had been standing on. Unaware, as well, of the irritated monk that glared at him through a strangely contrasting mask. He only noticed that the floor below where he stood was blank.

"Uh, Kitsune-chan?" he asked, his voice echoing through the room, "Are we supposed t'be standin' on th' star patterns for our constellation? If so, mine's over there by Dickhead."

Tamahome shot open an eye, the concentration he had gathered up shattering at Tasuki's words. It took most of his will to not make a jackass of himself again at Tasuki's taunt, but he was visibly shaking from the effort. He did, however, peek to the floor and picked up his foot to study the pattern he was standing on, it was indeed the constellation the name Tamahome came from.

Nuriko peeked open an eye at Tasuki's outburst to find he was standing beside Tamahome as he should be, but across from air. Leave it to Tasuki to be irreverent and uncompliant in the holy temple of their god.

"Tasuki, shut up and come stand across from me. Hurry it up, dress-boy," he snickered as the red haired bandit trotted over from his position right next to the statue-altar.

Tasuki swatted Nuriko's back playfully as he walked past the braided one and smirked at Tamahome. Before he could be yelled at by Tama to not talk to him, Tasuki leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Sorry 'bout that. But I hadda jab back after that bitch session ya gave me outside."

Nuriko frowned at Tasuki and held a finger to his lips and shushed him before Hotohori decided to shut them up. "Please, just focus your energy on Miaka and shut up. This is her day and you are being an asshole."

Tasuki flipped Nuriko off and frowned as he turned to look at Miaka one more time. He heaved a sigh and swallowed back the words that wanted to claw their way out of him. Bowing his head and trying to focus his energy as he had been advised to.

Outside, there had been an almost overwhelming air of excitement, but here everything was still. The crackle of the fire on the altar sounded magnified in the humming silence. It was like the shrine had taken a deep breath and was now holding it in honor of its priestess.

Miaka slowly made her way into the Shrine, keeping Ji close to her. The doors were pushed shut by the guards outside, preventing any outsiders from witnessing the ceremony. She thought she could hear Keisuke's voice echo from just outside the door but shook it off. She just had to _tell_ Suzaku she wanted them all to go home; they didn't need to be in the room, right?

She let go of Ji's hand and made her way up the steps to the alter in the center. She was looking into the flames with as much concentration as she could muster.

_Soon, Suzaku will appear out of this fire. Stop hesitating!_

She clasped her fingers and bowed her head to pray, hoping for her Seishi to do the same.

_First, I wish for Konan to be saved and for all her people, including the Suzaku Seven, to be made happy. Second, I wish for Keisuke, Tetsuya, Yui and myself to arrive back in our world together so that we can pass the entrance exam. And lastly..._

She looked up with a quick glance over to Tasuki, then closed her eyes again, even more tightly. _Lastly, I wish for true love to find me._ She knew it was selfish, but didn't she deserve one wish of her own? She moved her fingers into the proper position and then began to speak.

"The four places of the heavens, the four corners of the Earth. In the name of sacred law, belief, and goodness I summon thee, Suzaku, Lord of the South. I now say these words to thee..."

She'd been drilled well by the women attending to her earlier. If only she could remember her English words this well.

"Appear on Earth from the Seven Palaces of Heaven for the sake of those here who adore you! Come to us here. With thy holy power smash the evil which threatens us. Save us! And hear our wishes to thee! Descend to us now from Heaven!"

She tossed the scroll into the flame and waited, nervously anticipating what would come next. The room was silent but for the crackle of the flames. A long pause... too long. Miaka began to wonder if maybe she'd done it wrong when a bird appeared in the flames before her and a red light engulfed the platform she stood upon.

She was about to have what was supposed to be a private audience with Suzaku.

Hotohori's head was bowed in prayer, focusing all his energy on Miaka. He prayed for her safety and for the safety of his country. For the first time in his life he didn't think of himself for even a moment.

The whole ceremony felt right... proper. When the room grew silent, he looked up with fear for Miaka. Had the incantation failed for some reason? He glared at Tasuki, wondering if maybe he'd compromised her purity in some way. Then, a pillar of red light burst upward from the platform in the center. Red, the color of Suzaku.

They could only wait now for Suzaku to decide Miaka worthy of his power and for her to announce her wishes. His hand twitched at his side, wondering what was happening. He couldn't see Miaka now and feared for her safety.

Ou's mind was still trying it's best to pull itself in all the different directions it could. When the Priestess stepped up and began to recite, however, it snapped into focus, and Ou concentrated on the words and the prayer behind them. It would be a surprise to him, then, when as he turned the words over in his mind and silently mouthed them, that a reply came back.

_There is no need to worry, Chiriko. I have much more planned for you in the time to come. Congratulations, by the way, on the examination._

As soon as it was there, the presence was gone. It was, however, exactly what he needed to hear. Ou was able to concentrate on the task at hand, and when he opened his eyes, there was a red light, ready to receive its priestess and grant the wishes that she had.

Miaka's words echoed around the cavernous room, pulling Tasuki from his focus. His eyes snapped open and narrowed in on the brilliant red light that flowed and pulsed around the alter. A presence filled the room, telling him to be calm and relax, but he was suspicious.

In his experience, anything that told you 'everything is going to be okay' was full of shit. He tried to move from his spot, but his feet felt pinned to the floor. He felt frozen, able only to look and blink, worrying for the girl that was making him feel things he didn't want to admit to.

_Be still, my seishi, your priestess is well._

Startled by the strange voice in his head, Tasuki frowned. _'Yeah, an' I believe ya just because ya say it's so. Oh, while you're at it why don't ya go ahead an' chop off my dick. Thanks, but I'll do th' protectin' when it comes to _MY_Mi-chan.'_

A rumble of laughter rolled through his head and then was gone as quickly as it had come.

Nuriko, afraid to look and see what was happening, kept his eyes closed and waited for someone to let him know it was over.

Swirls of cerulean slunk around the seishi's feet like serpents as they prayed. Fading in and out of existence, like fleeting glimpses beyond the veil of reality, they siphoned energy from all seven seishi into one central point - the point where Miboshi stood waiting with head bowed in reverence. The tattoos which wound around her limbs and spiraled in around her stomach like a whirlpool lit up in resonance with the spell circle.

In what seemed like seconds after the red light of Suzaku had enveloped the young girl at the altar, a blinding bolt of lightning blue chi launched straight through Suzaku no Miko's heart and out the center of her back. Into Miboshi's person it jettisoned, striking her at the point where her seishi symbol appeared as she called back the bit of her soul that served as a vessel to ferry the phoenix god straight into the cage waiting within her.

Miboshi's head flew back violently and a screech, the shriek of Suzaku, sprung from her mouth with enough vibration of sound to equal an earthquake. Her hair floated up like a gorgon's. Chains of humming lightning encircled her body. The markings on her skin blazed bright blue. And then...

A blast of flame ensphered her and fanned out in a quick explosion of fire and noise, and the next instant, she dropped. Her body hit the ground, and Miboshi laid there, in a crumpled heap, with blue and red sparks shooting off her body.

There was a scream and a crashing noise. Screeching suddenly filled the quiet room, breaking the silence violently. Tamahome snapped open his eyes. He was jerked back to the real world from his inner world with the same nauseating quickness. He blinked in the confusion of noise and crackling, off center and dazed until one image zeroed into his focus again. Ji, lying collapsed at the bottom of the three low steps to the altar. Sickening light flickered around her, and what looked like lighting crackled energy sparked still across her finger tips.

"Ji!" His was the first articulated scream in the room.

He tried to lift his legs to run to her, but they were stuck, it felt like his energy has been sapped through his feet. And why not? Unbeknownst to him, his energy had been sapped, not only by the summoning, but by the scrolled spell across the floor.

The stiff hold it had on him didn't stop him from trying; He strained his will to his legs lifting one up only an inch. Then, all at once, it let go. He nearly stumbled at the release, racing to Ji's side.

"Ji! Ji!"

_No, NO, NO!!_ His mind raced, flinging sinister memories of holding his dying siblings in his arms. _Not her too, dear Suzaku. Please!_ But Suzaku was deaf to his seishi's plea, trapped inside the body of the very woman he begged life for.

Her body was icy cold and burning up at the same time. Just under his hands, contrasting temperatures flowed through her skin like waves. He waited, only vaguely aware of the others in the room and his - no doubt - fallen miko as well, with fear-widened eyes for her to respond.

For Miaka, time had slowed down. The crimson light was warm and soothing as it surrounded her. She was floating, it felt like. Slowly, a Phoenix appeared before her and then materialized into a man. He was handsome! Surprisingly so... but shouldn't a god be beautiful?

"Suzaku..."

Before he could speak a word the blue lightning hit her body, tearing and burning bits and pieces of her robes. It shot straight through her heart at Suzaku, ensnaring him. He disappeared, the red light faded, and Miaka found herself standing in front of the cauldron again. The flame before her went out as she reached out with desperate fingers for something to hold her up.

She could hear Tamahome call out the name of his girlfriend, she could even see him rushing to her side, but she couldn't speak a word. The tingle on her lips and in her chest told her everything she'd needed to know.

She could never go home again.

With that, her strength left her. Her knees buckled as she tried to make her way down the steps to check on her new friend. Losing her balance, she fell down the steps behind her instead. Before she could hit the ground she felt Hotohori's strong arms go around her, scooping her up and holding her close.

"Miaka, are you hurt?" His concern was appreciated, but she couldn't say a word. She simply pointed towards Ji-hime, trying to reach her.

Miaka gasped for air at last and whispered, "Ji-hime, are you okay?"

Tasuki's eyes widened to the point of nearly leaving their sockets as blue lightning shot out of the red bubble of energy. _'Now can ya see why I don't trust nobody sayin' it's gonna be okay?'_ he thought mockingly as he tried to rush to Miaka's side only to find his feet still pinned to the floor. "Goddamnit! Let me outta-" he froze when Miaka collapsed into Hotohori's arms.

That cracked it.

"What the fuck is goin' on here?" he growled and stalked over to the Emperor, taking Miaka from his arms. He cradled the tiny miko against his chest and fought back the joy in his heart.

She wasn't leaving him. Ever.

"Somebody give me some damned answers!"

Mitsukake didn't have any damned answers, and he would've liked a few himself. He'd never seen anything so screwed up in his life, and he'd slept with a woman who turned out to be a man by the light of sobriety.

He did have a soft spot for kids, though, and the one who was their miko seemed okay with the Emperor and the bandit, so that just left...

"You okay?" he asked Ou roughly.

Yeah, screw the hot chick in the middle who got blasted with lightning. Her man could take care of her.

The blue lightning bolt had flashed right in front of Ou. He watched in terror as it lanced through the priestess, and then drew itself back into one of the attendants. In a moment of clarity, what had just unfolded became painfully apparent. The summoning had been disrupted. The prophecy was going to be a failure. The god would not come. Or worse, he had arrived, and had been killed. The knowledge of it almost made him cry, but something rooted him to the floor for long enough to realize that it wasn't over yet. The blue and red sparks violently shooting out of Ji's body brought him back to his senses. He heard someone ask if he was okay.

"Yes, I'm... shaken up, I think, but I'm fine. But there's a war raging inside her body," he said, pointing at Ji. "I think she serves another god."

Hotohori held back a growl of his own when Tasuki lifted Miaka from his arms. "I'd say what's going on is obvious, Tasuki. The summoning has failed for some reason."

Standing by Ji's side, he watched her breathe. "She's still alive, for now." The words from the child had struck fear into his heart. If they had allowed a servant of another god into the room for the summoning... was this the price?

***

Keisuke should've been smiling. He was going home, back to college, to pumpkin spice mocha lattes, basketball, back to where the most life-threatening thing he ever went through was learning to drive. So why were all of his smiles feeling forced?

Tetsuya walked alongside him, taciturn as ever, and Kaen seemed to favor leading the two of them like a sheepdog, that is, walking behind them and directing them toward the temple. He hadn't been able to find the right words to say goodbye to her, and it irked him. The urgency of it was niggling at him, but his brain and his mouth wouldn't cooperate.

Kaen herded them silently. Sans a few taps on their arms and a point or two, she barely made herself known. She seemed to be back to her 'just business' self; her lips set in cold indifference. The only evidence that the previous night had even occurred sat in her hair, clipping the ends of that rigid twist in place.

They walked across a sort of peninsula where a small group of people were gathered before the entrance to the grand temple of Suzaku. There was a girl in expensive, flowing red robes, with billowing sheer white sleeves, another girl similarly dressed but not nearly as dolled up, and a few scattered men making their way inside.

"Where's Miaka?" he asked.

He was told to sit tight outside while Miaka performed the ceremony inside, and though he wasn't too happy about it, Keisuke complied. He and Tetsuya stood together near the temple entrance. All they could do was wait.

Keisuke couldn't stop staring at the floor, and when he managed to tear his eyes away from that, he'd glance at Kaen, only to look away just as quickly. Any second now, they'd be back home. Couldn't he even bring himself to force out a 'Hey, thanks for everything, have a good life'?

Kaen raised an eyebrow to her charge's strange behavior.

"Is there something bothering you?" she addressed him.

Her tone was warmer, in her opinion, but there was no noticeable difference to the others around her.

"Huh?" Keisuke looked up at her, then smiled wistfully down at the floor, "Oh, I'm just a little worried about Miaka since we can't tell what's going on in there, and we don't exactly summon gods like this in our world."

Tetsuya snorted. Keisuke shot him a look. It wasn't as if it wasn't true or anything.

"There's no need to worry," she tried to assure him. "I've spoken to Houjun-san about this ceremony, and he has told me what it entails. The ceremony is safe. The miko calls the god and he grants her his power to do with as she sees fit three times. There shouldn't be any harm to her."

Shouldn't, and her seishi mostly seemed of good intent, but there was always a doubt, especially since the poor girl was locked in the temple with only men save one other female.

"She also has a female attendent, so she's not alone."

"I hope so," Keisuke said quietly.

Tetsuya looked at the pure blue sky through dark lenses.

"I'll miss this place," he said aloud.

Keisuke followed his gaze.

"Yeah, I think I will too."

Keisuke's concern for his sister was admirable. She felt an odd aching in her chest as she watched the two saying what would most likely be their last words to her.

She opened her mouth. What was about to come out was lost and even she couldn't remember it a second into the commotion.

A sharp thundering sound shook the earth they stood on. She had to drop her stance to keep her purchase of ground. An arm shot out on instinct and grabbed the forgeiner to keep him from falling.

Had it not been for Kaen, Keisuke would have been stumbling, but since she stabilized him, he was still on his feet. His eyes widened as his body flew into full panic mode.

"Miaka!" he cried.

Before he could think, he was bolting for the door.

"Wait!" Tetsuya yelled after him, scrambling to his feet.

Keisuke's hands reached for the handles. Tetsuya caught up and clamped a hand onto his shoulder.

In that instant, the doors flew open, and red-hot flames burst outward to engulf the two men. Once the blast had passed, a look at the doorway showed nothing but clearing smoke.

Kaen shielded her eyes from the fire and when she opened them, the two were gone. Her eyes went wide.

"Keisuke!" she shouted out and ran to the smoke.

There was nothing left. Kaen burst through the cloud of clearing smoke, searching frantically for signs of the two. He heart pounded heavily in her chest and a sick feeling surged up in her.

Stepping into the temple of Suzaku brought her nothing better. The two women that had gone into the shrine were fallen. Both Miaka and her attendant looked as if they had been beaten, the crown of men stood around them. Her temper flared. Outside, the sky darkened.

Tasuki was screaming for answers. Miaka and Tamahome were checking on Ji-hime, and Chiriko's words rang true. That was certainly how it looked, anyhow, but what exactly had just transpired was still a mystery to Chichiri. Worse yet, his chi was near depleted, so he wouldn't be able to test any of his theories until it had a chance to replenish. In the meantime, keeping her alive was of the utmost importance.

"Mitsukake, can you take care of Ji-hime?" Chichiri asked in Tamahome's stead.

It was by chance that the monk's eyes turned toward the open doorway, by chance that he saw another warrior of Seiryuu step onto Suzaku's hallowed grounds, and by chance that he was the first to see her. But perhaps the eternal crossing of the paths of red and blue had also already been charted out in his destiny.

"What are you doing to those women?!" Kaen demanded of the chaos.

The sky behind the doors, that now hung creaking on their hinges, was a dark, heavy, gray. Kaen didn't bother addressing anyone in particular, but the monk happened to cast his gaze toward her. She narrowed her eyes at him. He whom she had trusted to protect the priestess despite his gender. He who had started to rekindle a trust in her that was long dead. She regarded him with icy eyes as thunder rolled in the sky above the shrine.

The priestess deserved better than to find her end at the hands of men she was supposed to trust, hands that gripped and pulled greedily even as they slammed into your skin. No, she would not have this. Because Houjun had been so kind to her, she would spare his life, but the others...

"Take your filthy hands _off_ of them!" she roared.

A crooked rod of light cut through the black sky as she screamed 'off'. It struck a singeing hole next to Tasuki and Hotohori, pulling the shadows from their hiding places, illuminating the temple in harsh black and white.

Miboshi felt herself being moved about like a doll, her head filled with sand. Consciousness still clung to her, but her vision was clouded, and the darkness threatened to overtake her, ready or not.

_Now..._

She gazed up at her foolish protector with bleary amber eyes.

"Sou..." her voice warbled, full of tears dipped in the true misery she felt.

Once she let go of her temporary control, her eyes rolled back into her head, and the shadows overtook her.

Hotohori was studying the room, intent on sorting out what had happened. "I think Chiriko is correct. This woman is a Seishi of..."

He couldn't finish the sentence since Kaen, the Amazon, had barged in quite angry. It looked bad, sure, but the Emperor was no abuser of women. "Calm down, Kaen-san. Both Miaka and Ji-hime were hit with a strange blue lightning." The full realization that Kaen was a Seiryuu Seishi gave him a sad smile. "Something you're already familiar with, as I recall."

"Ji-hime..." Miaka forced out again. She was holding tightly to Tasuki's shirt, trying not to fall. "Is she going to be okay? She should... rest..." Miaka knew she probably ought to do the same but her strength was coming back more quickly than she'd anticipated. Maybe she'd absorbed just a small bit of Suzaku's power before he vanished. Or maybe Ji was recovering just as quickly?

Tasuki stared at Hotohori for a moment, but his attention was quickly diverted from the happy news that Miaka wouldn't be leaving now that the summoning had failed to the lightning bolt that had nearly fried him and his miko. Clutching Miaka tighter to his chest, he put his back to the doorway in an effort to keep her from being a target. "Mi-chan, Ji-hime's gonna be fine. Let's worry 'bout you for a minute here."

Glaring over his shoulder at the Amazon that stormed in and roared for hands to be taken off of someone, Tasuki glanced around at the situation and realized that she was talking about him and Tama not touching the women.

"This is my miko, damnit, and she's hurt because 'a some freakish blue lightning. Piss off. This is an issue for Suzaku Seishi an' that don't include you."

Tamahome hardly heard the commotion, his mind ignoring the lighting that jolted down behind him, but his grief stricken ears picked up Ji-hime's tender plea of his name.

His eyes had already started to water and now the tears let loose. Tears of relief or anxiety, he didn't know, nor did he care much either way. A hopeful smile rose to his lips when she called for him. He touched her face gently with his hand, thanking his god that she had made it through.

Sadly, all too soon, her eyes rolled back and she once again went limp.

That's when the rest of the pandemonium hit his ears. Electric snaps flared through the temple, shouting from all sides pounding at his head, accusations flung and tempers flaring.

"What does it MATTER what she is?" Tamahome barked at Hotohori, clutching Ji to his chest tightly. "She's hurt, get someone to help her. Help her!"

He was frantic and no one else seemed interested in lending a hand; all too concerned with who should be blamed for the failed summoning. Bitterness blossomed in Tamahome's chest. At that moment he hated his fellow seishi.

"We'll help her, Tamahome-kun, just please, calm down, no da," Chichiri said.

He shot a pleading look to Mitsukake, but unfortunately he had very little time to deal with that situation as Tasuki's words made the situation heat up ten times hotter in only ten seconds.

This whole thing had gotten way out of hand, and there was no way Mitsukake was sticking around for this crap, except that the door was pretty effectively blocked now with guards, and everyone was looking at him to heal the broken princess. The crazy amazon chick looked to be distracted from that area, at least, so he made his way over.

He placed a hand on Ji's neck and felt around for a pulse, then he ran his hand over her mouth to check her breathing. Okay, there was only one thing to do now.

"Lay her down," he instructed Tamahome.

Tamahome nodded and shakily laid his love down on the soft carpet, watching Mitsukake with fearful, eager eyes. He switched his gaze to Ji's face and his heart clenched in his chest. _What if she never wakes up again?_ a frightened voice asked him from the back of his head. _Like the rest of them, torn from you while you sat back and watched_. It continued, feeding off of Tamahome's fear and guilt. He squeezed his eyes shut, tossing away the thought.

"You know I don't have any of my magical healing right now, so we have to do this the old-fashioned way."

Mitsukake tilted her head back, clapped his hands together and rubbed them vigorously, then he leaned over with his lips extended and gave her a great big smooch. He was, of course, breathing air into her, but there was no harm in enjoying this a little too, was there?

Behind him, the voices and screams of the others were muted. Tamahome opened his eyes to see what looked like the doctor kissing Ji, and his jaw nearly dropped to the floor. He _was_ a doctor, but... was this... Was that his tongue?!

He didn't have time to logically work it out. There was no more logic left in his panic. Tamahome flung out his hand and grabbed the fake doctor's collar, ripping him back from the lipalock he was engaged in with the girl he planned on marrying.

"What do you think you're doing? You fake!" Rage erupted from the pit of his stomach.

Mitsukake was about to say something about how he was a _real_ doctor, and if they had let him keep working on her, she'd be _fine_, but since they were screwing with him she would probably damn well die, when all hell broke loose... again.

Never mind that Kaen didn't understand what the Emperor meant. Hotohori's calm explanation was quickly overshadowed by the brash bandit's howls.

Her eyes flashed wide with rage. "YOURS?"

Her feet and warrior instinct had her running at the red-head before she finished her cry. There was a metallic _shing_ from her sheath and another loud crack in the dark clouds outside.

"You male swine!" she cursed at him as her long legs carried her forward.

A growl roared from her throat and a sharp bolt of lighting lanced through the sacred space of Suzaku, gripping the offensive male in a deadly high voltage.

But it was not Tasuki who was jolted by buzzing electricity. An ever-smiling mask zapped off and melted on the floor. With teeth gritted against each other, and good eye shut tight, the monk stood in front of his friend and his miko. Without the ability to create his magical barriers, his body became their physical shield.

"Kaen… san…"

Kaen froze. The mask fell to her feet. Outside, the thunder quieted to a roll. Time seemed to stand still for her as the seconds replayed themselves in her head. Anger, lightning, drawing her sword, then a blur and this.

The monk slumped and the inevitable dripping of blood splashed to the ground.

"H-Houjun-san," Kaen said dumbly.

Chichiri's hand, holding the staff that had saved his life by knocking her blade off target, shook with the effort of pressing back against the strength of the highly trained amazon.

The tip of her sword carved a hole in his ribs.

Ou was still recovering from the shock of everything happening around him. The untimely entrance of Kaen threatened to really make a mess of things. Ou flailed mentally, trying to figure out something that he could do or say to make things work better.

What he came up with probably wasn't going to help much, but it could probably make things a little bit better. He put himself in front of Kaen and summoned up his best official voice. (He failed, sounding cute instead, but there's no need to tell him that.)

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to leave. This is a matter strictly concerning those here. If you want to make yourself helpful, fetch a doctor, please."

Tasuki stared in shock as Chichiri leapt in front of him and took on the Amazon alone. Why the crazy monk didn't just do his magic he wasn't sure, but Kitsune-chan wasn't one to do something without reason.

He was about to set Miaka down when he noted that there were blood drops on the floor beside his monk friend. Setting Miaka down and taking up a defensive position in front of her, Tasuki leveled a finger at Kaen. "I don't give a shit if ya hate me, but when ya hurt my friends and attempt to hurt my girl, that's when we got problems, Miss Bitch."

Nuriko stared in shocked disbelief. The summoning had failed and the room had erupted in chaos. He stood frozen in his spot, nearly being hit by a lightning bolt aimed for Tasuki and Miaka, and barely having the presence of mind to step aside when the second came.

He heard yells and curses, but was too shocked and surprised by what was happening that he couldn't figure out what exactly he should do. Go to Miaka? To Ji? What was he supposed to do?

He blinked again and slowly stalked over to the woman glaring at Tasuki with her sword buried in Chichiri's ribs. "What are you doing?!" He grabbed the woman's sword arm and tugged it back and behind her, twisting it with just enough force to make her lose her grip on her sword.

There is a point in a catastrophe when things stop making sense. When time stretches and condenses all at once and overlaps, then just snaps all together.

Kaen felt like she was having a break down that started with an earthquake.

Keisuke disappeared into flames. A bandit, the ring leader of all of this it seemed, was slinging misogynistic insults at her at the same time a young boy, no more than twelve, decided it was time for him to up the machismo too. He ordered her, _ordered_ to go 'fetch' a doctor. The words gnawed on her pride as an Amazon, but the worst of all this was the frantic panic in her head. The tip of her sword was red with the blood of the only person in this debaucherous mess that she cared about.

Somehow, within the same three seconds a hand grabbed hers and twisted the sword, which was already faltering in her grip, to the floor.

Kaen screamed. A hysterical cry of mingled rage, embarrassment, sympathy, loss, and surprise. It seemed to come from the bottom of her soul and the thunder, which had begun to lull, whip cracked again; fiercely loud and menacing. Lightning attacked the temple. Bolts like razors cut the air and left it bleeding blue-white. The streaks tore through the elegant tapestries, lighting the threads on fire. Great claws of electric current jumped from the tips of the outstretched wings of gold as if the god himself was raging through his temple, violently seizing onto the other metal objects throughout the hall.

Kaen flung her hand up and her fist hit the person behind her in the bridge of the nose. The crisp cold-fire smell of ozone sizzled in the air and her eyes focused in on the infuriating bandit. As she did, so did the lightning rampaging through the room.

Miaka tried to hide a smile, wondering why Tasuki had decided to refer to her as 'his' so many times. She clutched his sleeve while trying to keep herself steady. She kept a hold on him as he yelled at Kaen.

"Anou... I don't think that's such a good..."

She didn't get to finish. Instead, she ducked behind Tasuki as the lightning shot their way.

With Chiriko standing in front of him, and Tasuki screaming from behind him, there was little time to think about his next reaction. The hairs on the back of his arms stood on end, signaling the charge buildup just before the storm. He watched in horror as lightning slammed into the statue of Suzaku and then disseminated through the cauldron.

All of the lightning in the room came crashing toward Tasuki, and by proxy, Miaka. Chichiri wound up and threw his staff toward the ceiling. The current centered on and leapt for the high-risen metallic head. Gold glowed bright-white as the electricity slammed into what magical energy the monk had stored in his staff. High above them, Suzaku and Seiryuu battled once again.

The wooden section of his staff erupted in flames. Chichiri clutched his bleeding wound as the fireworks played out above them, and then furious chi, roaring like the blue dragon himself, exploded outward like a plasma ball and struck the ceiling, the carpet, the stone floor, and all four walls.

Thanks to Chichiri's magic, no one living had been harmed. The burning monk's staff clanged on the floor, drained of all magic. The carpet upon which Tamahome sat with Ji-hime was immediately set ablaze, and there was a rumbling before great chunks of the ceiling began hurtling toward the ground.

"Run, no da!" he yelled at the others.

No one had to tell Mitsukake to run twice. No way he was dying in this place. He was out of there faster than a non-playable guard dies in a storyline battle. It was only after he was safely outside on the strip of land between the temple and the palace that he realized that the others were still inside. His moral dilemma began then, but he watched the doorway, hoping that the others would be able to get out in time.

The doctor's departure forced Tamahome to look around for the first time since running to Ji. Horror stuck him. The temple was engulfed in flames, Chichiri was collapsed to his knees and there were ugly marring holes in the once beautiful sacred shrine. A tall warrior woman he thought he had seen somewhere before was screaming. Everyone was screaming.

He might have sat there in shock for another seemingly long moment, but an angry red flame rushed towards him, devouring the plush carpeting. Tamahome gathered Ji in his arms and followed the words of the wise monk. Pausing at the doorway, Tamahome looked back achingly. He shifted his gaze down to the fallen girl in his arms and back to the catastrophe behind him.

Outside, Tama gave a disappointed mew from Mitsukake's shoulder.

"Aw, dammit," he said, before dashing back to the doorway, "If I die here, it's your fault."

Mitsukake ran past Tamahome back into the fray. Tamahome wanted to help too. His soul cried for him to join them, but he had other important matters to attend to. Let them fight as their sacred clique of heartless soldiers, Tamahome needed to protect the one he loved.

Sections of the wall were tumbling down as Mitsukake spoke.

"Come on, hurry it up!" he bellowed, making big motions with his arms.

Tasuki reached back a hand to push Miaka out of the way when he saw the lightning coming at him, but was saved by Chichiri's staff catching the electrical current and dispersing it into the walls. That was two things he owed the monk for.

Fire erupted around them, and while fire never bothered him, it would bother Miaka. Smoke was filling the room, fed by the fire that was blazing out of control. Chichiri's voice cut through the air with a cry of _'Run no da!'_ and that's what Tasuki did.

Turning to Miaka, he lifted her bridal style and ran sluggishly from the chambers, dodging around spurts of flames that threatened to singe their clothes and skin. The thin, silky outfit that Miaka had on was ripe for fire to engulf, and Tasuki had no intentions of letting his girl even think she was going to be burned.

Hotohori's actions came too late, but Saihitei knew that he had a duty not only to the Miko but to an entire country. The blood that had spilt would sully the sacred space built for Suzaku. Through it all, he kept a watchful eye on Miaka, who was trying her best to stand on her own now.

"Get out!" he shouted, trying to echo Chichiri's sentiment. He ushered everyone outside as quickly as possible. His guards had run for buckets of water to try and put out the flames.

The seishi went running past Kaen, two of them with the women she had come to protect. Rage was flowing though her veins. Houjun-san was bleeding and broken but the red-head was escaping unscathed. The temple walls were crumbling. Chunks of falling rock collided with the floor with thunderous crashes that echoed the booming of the storm. Reaching out a hand towards the bandit as he fled, she took aim and fired. Lightning followed in his wake. It slammed into the floor where his feet had been seconds before.

Kaen screamed in frustration. She wanted to go after him. She wanted to rip his disgusting limbs from his body (especially that offensive thing between his legs), but someone who had been a friend to her while she was a stranger in this land was in need.

She looked over her shoulder, casting a disappointed gaze at Tasuki's retreating back, then back to the hurt monk. The first man she felt like she might be able to trust, even if just a little. Kaen felt torn for a brief moment, the seductive urge for retribution itching at her skin, but she stepped forward and put a shoulder under Houjun's left arm and lifted him as delicately as time would allow.

"Can you move?" she asked urgently.

Chichiri looked up at Kaen's words. He had waited here, as the world came down, to make sure that the others escaped. Now the others were gone, and his body was laboring to move. He was sore and stiff from electrocution, and his muscles felt weak from the loss of blood.

"A little, no da," he responded.

Together they fled the temple as it caved in around them, and they made it through the doorway just as it fell in on itself. The force of the rocks smashing into the ground sent a shockwave through them, and they fell forward, into the group that had already gathered outside.

Hotohori paused to catch his breath, waiting for everyone to get outside to safety before he spoke again. It was time to be leader again.

"The damage has been done. Something has gone horribly wrong with the summoning. Miaka and Ji-hime have been injured by the gods for some reason."

He looked around at the confused faces, soldier and seishi alike, knowing they needed a leader.

"None of you are to breathe a word of this to anyone. Especially not the Shogun. Peace between Konan and Kutou is far too fragile already and it will be hard to explain why our sacred temple has burned to the ground. Guards will keep this area off limits."

Mitsukake had been helpful, but until his power returned he could perhaps be better used elsewhere. "Your ability to heal is gone until your power comes back. Which, unfortunately, means we need to summon a doctor of the regular variety for Miaka, Ji, and now Chichiri." He shot an angry glare at Kaen.

"Chiriko, you are well read. Would you please search the ancient texts for any reason this could have happened and perhaps see if you can determine a cause? Mitsukake, you'll accompany him of course and try to make yourself useful, yes?" It was a bit of a cop out, to be sure, but he felt the child could babysit the 'doctor' well enough. The boy was smart and could most likely determine what had happened here.

"Tasuki, you need to watch your temper. Kaen was only trying to protect Miaka and Ji-hime. Kaen-san, I could say the same of you."

He sighed heavily. "Chichiri, can you walk? Tamahome you can carry Ji-hime and Miaka can lean on us. We'll make our way back to the guest quarters across the courtyard so the injured can get some rest while we get a doctor and figure this thing out."

He didn't want to insult Kaen again, so he'd ask carefully. "Kaen-san, you're a warrior of the highest caliber and as such you have speed on your side. If you would do us the favor of requesting the presence of the royal doctor I would be most appreciative. He lives very near the palace, just outside the walls. Please, would you?"

Having finally been given a direction, Ou was able to both justify his exit from the area, his need to get well away and think, and to feel kind of useful in all of this, considering he really couldn't do anything else. There were guards running in with water, but there were people dying and bleeding around. Hopefully the doctors could get to them in time. As a scared boy does when confronted with something well beyond him, Ou fled the area for the library, running full-tilt, slowing down occasionally to avoid crashing into someone or to give more guards the alarm about the fire that was raging in the temple of Suzaku. He didn't even know if anyone had accompanied him until (by luck or subconscious mapping) he made it to the library, having taken each of the right turns when presented. He hurried back to the cell he had taken up residence in before everything had gone wrong and grabbed the scrolls of the history and prophecy. Before he opened them, he was struck by a sudden realization. He didn't have any idea where to look.

Tasuki ignored the reprimand and smirked down at Miaka and kissed her temple. "Looks like yer stuck with me, Mi-chan. Can't say I ain't happy about that."

Miaka found herself blushing happily. She knew that she shouldn't be, but she wanted to stay with Tasuki a while longer. Something had changed his attitude, but she didn't know what it was.

"I thought you..." she couldn't finish the sentence since Hotohori was ordering people around. The guards were slowly putting out the blaze, people were running about all around her. How they would keep this from the Shogun she didn't know.

Tasuki debated about whether to put her down or not, then decided that she needed to stay just where she was. "Thought I what? Thought I was bein' a dickhead for bein' mad about you leavin' me? Yeah, I was an' I'm sorry. I don't want ya to leave, ever."

He turned his gaze from Miaka to Tamahome and Ji-hime, a small smile lifting the corner of his lips. Ji made Tamahome happy, that was enough. He turned his gaze back to Miaka and smirked. "So, can ya still love this baka, hotheaded bandit who loves you, too? Or did I arready fuck that up?"

For a moment, despite all the chaos, it was just the two of them. Miaka hugged him tightly. She needed to go home, sure, but for now she was okay with staying here. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him but with everything going on and the horrified look on Tamahome's face, she couldn't flaunt her own happiness.

She kissed him on the nose, just a peck, and looked around for Keisuke and Tetsuya. Where were those lazy boys? Another look at Tamahome and Ji made her chest feel tight. "I hope Ji-hime is going to be okay."

Tasuki's smirk widened, glad to be forgiven. "She'll be fine soon as we c'n get a real doctor for her. I hate that she got hurt." He paused, looking down at the burnt circle in Miaka's dress, just over her heart. "Miaka, this..." he paused again, touching his finger against the small, burnt hole and fluttering his fingertip gently over the red skin just under it. "This looks like it hurts. Are ya okay?"

Miaka ignored the pain and didn't wince, even if it hurt. "Oh, I'm okay, really." She touched his hand. A cough came from the Emperor behind them and her face flushed. She hoped Ji-hime would wake up soon, for Tamahome's sake.

The guards near the doorway gave up their futile attempts to stem the fire, and instead backed away from the flaring, ruinous remains.

Kaen glanced up at the feet of the crowd gathered. She was feeling drained and tired, but she still had more to do. She heard the Emperor demanding action from her and she ignored it; He wasn't her god-king, let him rant orders to her till he turned blue. He was guilty and dirty like the rest of them. His false gentle persona only irritated her more.

Instead, Kaen tended to the monk. She owed him that much.

"I'll get you a doctor."

"Thank you, Kaen-san, no da," Chichiri said, struggling to keep his side from bleeding further.

Mitsukake came to stand directly over them both, arms and temper likewise crossed.

"In case any of you haven't noticed, I am—"

"Sir! Sir! Sahitei-sama!"

A guard in red armor carrying a spear broke straight for the group of seishi.

"Sir, it's awful," breath, "…it's…" breath, "The palace! We're under attack. Some kind of… creatures… like… giant wolves…" The man's eyes were wild and he could hardly speak without stopping to gather his wits. "They're tearing...through the palace right now! We can't stop them! What should we do?"

Tamahome's heart dropped like lead to his stomach. All at once, he felt dizzy and sick with a fresh panic. This couldn't be! His spirit screamed at him. Ji was still under, but for now not in the line of danger. With the only coherent thought left in his brain, Tamahome Placed Ji at Chichiri's feet.

"Please," he begged of the monk, hoping he would be the seishi he could count on to protect her, then his mind went blank save the one pulsing thought:

Protect them!

It raged inside his head, relentless and neon red. If there was power enough left from Suzaku, he willed it to his legs and forced them to pump. Faster, he had to make it there in time, FASTER!

"Yuiren! Chuei!" he screamed as he crashed open the palace door.

He pushed past terrified people. The wave of panicking innocents was crashing against his body, pulling him backwards even as he pushed through.

"Chuei! Yuiren!" Tamahome screamed their names, desperately looking to either side of the hall, hoping to see their small figures.

Finally the crowd thinned as they rushed for the exit, leaving Tamahome to dart through the hallways in the only direction people were _not_ headed. The pathway was decimated. Tapestries shredded, lamps knocked over... and bodies. Suzaku, no! The edges were lined with bodies, or parts of what was left. He ducked his head down, trying to not see them, trying to keep his hopes alive that the hearts of the rest of his diminished family were still beating.

_Please…_

He came to the door and kicked it open.

***

Tasuki's eyes widened as the words fell from the guard's lips. Creatures. Giant wolves. Tearing through the palace...

He watched Tamahome run off, then looked at Miaka. "I gotta go kick some demon ass, Mi-chan. Hotohori'll keep ya safe 'til I can get back." He set Miaka on her feet beside Hotohori. "I'm countin' on ya to keep my girl safe, Hoto-chan, I'll be kickin' your ass next if even a hair is outta place when I get back."

Wooziness was whirling around in Chichiri's head, and he knew he was not long for consciousness.

"Kaen-san, I know this is a lot to ask, especially since we're not from your country, but..." His head tilted downward, and he yanked it back up. "Please help them. You've got the best chance of any of us right now. There are innocent people in there, women and children, no da..."

Chichiri caught himself with one arm when he felt himself starting to fall. He summoned all of his strength to look back at her with his one pleading eye.

Hotohori nodded his agreement with Houjun's request. "Kaen-san, he's right. You're an incredible warrior and I'd be honored if you'd help protect my people."

Kaen drew in a breath and stayed her pride. Yes, if Houjun-san asked it of her, she would protect them. She didn't much care for going into fight along side that insufferable ringleader, in fact it was a thought that made her skin crawl, but there were innocent people in that palace.

She rose to her feet, casting a sideways glance and holding her tongue at the Emperor's insidious remarks. He sounded sincere, but her trust ran thin for men who kept harems at his beckon call.

"I'll go." Kaen said, crossing her fist over her heart; the Amazon gesture for respect. "Don't move, until the doctor gets here."

Then, she took off on swift legs towards the palace.

Hotohori looked Chichiri over. The monk didn't have long before he'd pass out, but the inside of the palace was no more safe than the courtyard. "You are probably the safest right here." He wanted to kiss Miaka, for luck, before he ran into the fight but Tasuki seemed to have decided she belonged to him now. Everyone was acting a little weird. Should he stay here to protect Miaka or...

Looking around again, he noticed that Miaka was no longer anywhere in sight. She had disappeared.

"Shit. Chichiri, hold on. I'll be back!" He withdrew his sword and took off towards the palace. He needed to make sure Miaka was okay.

Once Kaen was out of sight, Chichiri carefully lowered himself to the ground. Yellow lines and boxes shifted and transformed within his vision, and finally, he retained consciousness no more.

Mitsukake stepped forward.

"Well, you didn't have to wait long because the doctor is here," he proclaimed to the unconscious bodies.

_I get no respect around here._

First, he took stock of the princess's vital signs. She seemed fine, save for the strange alternating temperature of her skin. He rolled the monk over onto his back and examined the bleeding wound. What an idiot. There was no way he'd take a hit for someone else like that, and especially not for someone who could care less about him.

Mitsukake flexed his left hand and then held it out over the gash. A dim red light glowed, but it accomplished very little. He dipped his hands in the pond, then let the water fall from his palms onto the wound. He cleaned it as best he could, and then he untied his dual headbands and wrapped them carefully around the man's torso. There wasn't much else he could do until his power returned.

He looked up toward the palace. They were all in there fighting some wolves, and he was out here, relatively defenseless, with two unconscious bodies. What was he supposed to do if one came out here? Heal them to death?

As if called by his misgivings, a wolf-beast, standing on its hind legs, with bony black bat wings sprouting out of its back, stalked toward them on the narrow strip of land between the palace courtyards and the now ruined temple.

"Aw, shit," he muttered.

Mitsukake looked at the two bodies next to him, neither of which belonged to anyone he really cared about. There was no way he was going to fight that thing, and there was nothing he could do for them, so he got to his feet, and took a dive into the great pond.

The beast approached, remarkably quietly for its species, and locked in on his target. Gently, he lifted Miboshi into his arms, and then nudged the monk with his foot. The man seemed alive, but the bandages around his torso begged the question: for how long? He was unconscious, either way, and thusly did not need to die.

Sentient eyes peered out over the water. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen the coward who jumped in there to save his own skin, but he was also of little concern. Within the next instant, it seemed as though he had vanished, taking the princess along with him.

Heaving in gulps of air, Mitsukake finally came to the surface. His spiked hair drooped and stuck to his forehead. Sure that the demon was gone, he swam back to shore.

"It took her..." he mumbled to the wind.

It had good taste, at least.

Mitsukake grabbed the monk and slung him over his shoulder. It was time to get out of this spot where they were nothing but cornered cats. Speaking of cats, Tama, who had hidden amongst the wreckage, bounded up when his master started to walk away.

The cat shivered quietly on Mitsukake's shoulder.

"It's okay. I plan on staying far away from any more of those things."

***

Without waiting for any response, Tasuki turned and vanished into the palace. Dodging around frightened people, he followed the sounds of screams and carnage. His eyes fell on similar creatures to what had attacked them before, and he smirked wide. "Welcome back, boys. Been itchin' to see ya's again. Wanted to give ya a good bandit style ass kickin'!" he cried as he leapt into the fray, tessen drawn, and holy fire surrounding him.

Nuriko followed close on Tasuki's heels, knowing that the hotheaded bandit would race in with no plans as to how to take on these monsters again with no help at all. The idiot bandit would likely just throw himself into the fray and deal with each one as it came. Now, it was up to him to get the baka bandit out of trouble.

***

The Shogun spent some time in his room during the morning, alone. He was planning how to interrupt the ceremony but had no definite plans. At this point, he was certain he had failed the Kutou Emperor. He would have to convince Yui to wish for Kutou to control all 4 countries if he was to fix this.

Then he felt a strange pulse in his chest. Seiryuu Seishi were near... the two he'd felt earlier. Something was happening outside; a war between Suzaku and Seiryuu was raging just outside his door. When he opened it, the chaos before him brought a smile to his lips.

"How interesting."

He holstered his sword and decided that destroying a few of these unusual wolf-beasts would be a delightful way to pass the time.

After Tasuki had left her, Miaka snuck away from Hotohori on her own. If the boys knew she was doing this... well, they'd never allow it. They wanted to protect her but what was the point anymore? She couldn't get home. She'd ruined the summoning.

The bodies of fallen people and wolf-creatures made the path through the palace difficult. She'd borrowed a sword from a fallen soldier, just in case. It was heavy, but better to protect herself with. She ignored the screams and howls in distance. If she paid them more attention, she'd lose her nerve.

_Keisuke... Tetsuya... where are you? Are you safe?_

She burst into their room but found it empty. How strange. The room was empty. Cleaned. It was as thought they'd planned on leaving. But the summoning had failed, so where would they have gone?

A growl came from behind her. She whirled around, trying to hold the sword in front of her. It was one of the wolf-things, looming in the door way. The beast was huge; blood dripped from its jaw and it slowly advanced on her. With her back pressed against a wardrobe, there was nowhere to go.

"Ni-nice puppy. Stay down." She tried to calm the beast, but how exactly do you make a blood thirsty wolf like you as more than a meal? The creature growled again and jumped forward. She closed her eyes and shrieked.

...

There was silence. When Miaka opened her eyes again the Shogun was before her, his sword through the neck of the beast. He pulled back his weapon and let the body hit the ground.

"Are you hurt?"

"N-no, I'm fine. Thank you."

"That sword is too heavy. Why are you running about in the middle of a fight in such... inappropriate attire?" He couldn't believe his good luck. Here was his prize, right in the middle of all this chaos. It was clear to him she'd been attempting the summoning. Obviously, it had failed. If he wanted, he could take her now and go back to Kutou before anyone noticed. Instead, he would play the role of savior. They needed to trust him so he could achieve exactly what he wanted.

"Oh, I was dressing up for the Emperor. I was looking for someone but he isn't here. Could you... would you help me get back outside? These wolf-things are everywhere."

He fought back the urge to run his sword through her trusting heart right then and instead nodded and forced a smile. "Who are you looking for? Perhaps I can help you find them."

She couldn't say her brother or Tetsuya. That would bring too many questions. Who could she name...

"Sou."

"Any idea where he might be?"

She thought hard, trying to remember where Tamahome might have gone. Her calm expression turned to horror when she realized where he would have headed next.

"The nursery!"

***

Behind the doors which led to the nursery laid a freshly carved pit of carnage. The caretaker's remains were thrown haphazardly upon the windowsill. There was a steady, sickening drip of blood cast upon the walls, and the red tapestries of Konan were dyed crimson. These children weren't just killed, they were shredded. Many of their organs had been removed by powerful toothy jaws, and limbs were strewn about like garbage. Clawed, bitten, and half-eaten, those empty shells which still had eyes stared out in terror.

Amongst the other children, many of them the sons and daughters of servants and guards, were Tamahome's younger siblings. Yuiren was recognizable by the red hair ribbons laying just outside her reach. In her other arm, she clutched the three dolls her older brothers had given her. The porcelain doll's face was crushed. The other two remained in tact in her protective embrace. Her body was still relatively put together, apparently she was too small to bother with.

Chuei's fate was much more gruesome. His corpse lay directly in front of Yuiren's. A stream of blood flowed from his palm, where he clutched his last throwing knife. The rest of his knives were embedded in the walls and the floor. Only half of his face remained, his chest cavity opened, and his lower half completely torn off.

The monsters responsible were nowhere in sight, but screams of terror, somewhere in the distance, echoed through the palace hallways.

"No."

Tamahome freezes in the doorway. Horror catches him in her arms. His eyes roam over the strew bodies of the young. The sounds of torture are distant and far away. Slowly, ever so slowly, his feet carry him through the room on violently shaking legs. There's wet slopping sounds under his boots. Something is telling him it's juice, carelessly spilt juice by one of the kids, but behind that comes the other voice that tells him it's blood. The toe of his slipper is soaked in it because the floor is soaked in it. Under his heel, something slippery and flesh-pink squishes and slips. It rips his fragile balance from him and he stumbles. Tamahome falls.

His hands land in pools of the dark red liquid, he can feel cold seeping through the knees of his pants. Franticly, his eyes scan the floor. Dolls, toys, blood, organs, paper planes. His fingers clench in the sopping carpet making a sickening squelching sound. Tears are pouring from his eyes, making his vision blur and sway, but he sees it. His own eyes staring back at him in eternally fixed terror. He blinks away the blur that's doubling his vision, and sees he was mistaken. One eye, one gray-blue and afraid, gawking at him from behind a pink curtain of what must have been the little Tamahome's brains. It cries to him in his head.

_Why did you not protect me? Why did you not keep your promise?_

The little hands clench a knife. A throwing knife that his older brother refused to let him learn. With a sinister smirk, regret tells Tamahome if he had just let him learn, they could be safe. Fragments of white gleam up at him as his vision blurs and his stomach clenches. Had Tamahome not been too excited to eat this morning, it would have come up there, but all his stomach produces is milky white phlegm, leaving his throat raw and burning. His arms shake in waves, quaking wide enough to tilt him off their rickety balance, then subsiding again to a mild tremor. Terror guides his eyes up again on mocking hands, soft as his mother's touch, and cold as the death that surrounds him.

The revulsion stacks, behind the accusing eye is a face he nurtured from birth. One eye lid has flipped up and she stares unblinking at the ceiling, the other is closed as if she sleeps. That same small voice tells him that she is sleeping, tired, she must have been from all that playing, all that spilled juice. Her little hands are reaching out for him, and he takes the fingers in his own hand, smudging crimson across the white. Something confused asks her why she has blood on her hands, that if she shows him the booboo he'll kiss it and make it better. He plucks the doll given her the night before, just the night before, from the floor. It's fallen from her grip, she would be sad to loose it.

The body is still a little warm and flexible. He wraps the tiny fingers around the toy, but they don't hold. Tamahome tries again,

"Hold it Yuiren," he says to the empty room when the fingers go limp again, "Why won't you hold it?"

And all reality comes crashing down on him.

"Aghhhh!" A wail tears through his lips, twisted in agony. "Wh-why!? Oh gods no! No! WHY?"

Flinging his hands up and clutching at his head as he yowls, he leaves thick red streaks over his face, broken only by the constant fall of tears washing his cheeks white again. How long has he been here? Tamahome doesn't know, but the first wave of tears have settled into a strange buzzing numbness again.

Tamahome gathers his youngest to his chest, he tries to drag what remains of his little brother to him. He's as gentle as an angel, but as he pulls, the hollow cup of a skull rocks and spills out the remaining tissue. His stomach does its trick of pulling up nothing and from his throat choked howls come. He's rocking Yuiren and himself, back and forth, back and forth, His head spins and he can't see any more.

Into this scene stepped the clicking nails of a beast. One who had been lying in wait for this moment, slunk up beind his prey.

"Where is he..." it barked, "The one we came for. The fire-bringer. Where is he?"

In the silence, the sound of the approaching beast is tremendous. Tamahome hears it but makes no move to turn around. His first thought is _kill me, go ahead. It hurts too much to bear_. There is a minute, in palatable silence, where he waits for the crunching of his bones to end the pain he feels, but then it speaks.

Its voice is raspy and canine, but with a deep preternatural growl. It seems to not only echo, but actually come from all sides of the nursery that is no more. The words fall on his ears, but he doesn't comprehend. His mind is filling, like oil, with hatred and anger. Tamahome turns his burning eyes to the thing darkening the door way, setting his precious girl on the floor once more.

As if the creature's very words burst into life, the spark ignites Tamahome's rage, setting the red behind his mind ablaze. He lunges at it, but the lunge must be blind with fury and tears. His fist hits air and the thing is behind him.

"You have his scent, but you're not him," it snarls in his ear.

Putrid stench rolls out from over Tamahome's shoulder and up his nose as the creature sniffs and releases its breath. Tamahome turns, revenge and pain fueling his fury. It's bright red, like his symbol, billowing out in angry dark light. Tamahome jabs a skilled, fighter's elbow down to the creature's ribs with all his might, but again it evades him.

It seems to move on swifter legs than its hulking form could own, racing around Tamahome in a tight circle. Frustrated, Tamahome twirls to try and keep it in sight, determined this monster suffer for what it did do his family, but the blood of the children betrays him. In his twirling, the creature knocks into him and shoves the boy off balance. Feet sliding in the slick pools, Tamahome falls. A blur of black fur and fangs and then, it darts out the window.

Tamahome is once again on his knees, drenched in innocent blood. The anger was good. It kept him from feeling the pain for a few precious seconds, but now he was alone again, the sole performer to a captive audience of small, helpless, and terrified eyes.

"Stop!" he yells to them, but they continue their plea for him to help them; they continue their chorus of unfulfilled promises.

Tamahome clutches his head, squeezing his eyes against the accusations.

"I'm sorry," he pleads with them.

He crawls back, sliding on the floor, to his spot. He gathers up Yuiren once again, adding the half form of Chuei to his embrace. Tamhome buries his face in the dead child's blood-clotted hair. He repeats his apology to them over and over again, but it's too late isn't it? Fresh tears for his dead fall to the lifeless bodies, but no amount of sorrow will bring them back.

It's then that the beast's words sink in. Tamahome's heart nearly stops as all the pieces fit into place. His village, the jail cell, Ji's palace, here. Who was there every time? Who else could be called The Fire-Bringer?

"Tasuki," he whispers breathless and disbelieving in Yuiren's hair, the strands cling to his wet face. _But why?_

Miaka and the Shogun had hurried through the halls as fast as possible, trying to make sure the halls were clear. She had thrown off her shoes in favor of speed while Nakago had stopped to fight the demons wherever possible, ordering soldiers about as though he were the Emperor. They would get and keep the palace clean as soon as they could. Doors were locked along the way to ensure no beasts would be missed.

When they finally reached the door to the nursery, Miaka could hear an anguished cry from inside.

"Tamahome! He's in trouble!"

She tried to yank the door open but found it wouldn't budge. She pulled hard until the door suddenly gave and flew open. There was no way she could have prepared herself for what she saw. The walls and floor were a sea of blood. It pooled around the bodies of what used to be children.

This room had been utterly decimated by the creatures. Nakago stayed in the doorway, keeping an eye out for more of the beasts while Miaka took careful steps forward, trying not to walk right through the blood. The warm liquid touched her bare feet, sending a shiver up her back. It was sticky and soft. She'd never seen so much carnage before.

Tamahome sat in a pool of blood, holding a child in his arms. No, two children. Miaka felt warm tears roll down her cheeks at the sight of it. Tamahome's family... they were all gone now.

"Tamahome..."

She didn't quite know what else to say. The look on his face said everything. He wanted someone to rescue him from the nightmare he was living now. She ignored the bits of flesh and bone scattered about and focused solely on Tamahome. She tried not to see the tiny bodies in his arms but looked deep into his eyes instead.

Tamahome heard something enter the room. He didn't care who or what it was. Maybe it would kill him, maybe it would just leave him be, but he could tell from the footfalls that it was going to do neither.

He didn't move from his spot. He was colored in shades of red to his waist. His clothing had soaked in the blood from the carpet. Blue fabric turned deep purple, whites a dark crimson, Yellows to sunset orange. Despite the colorful splotches on his clothes, his world was in darkness. Everything seemed shades of shadow.

His sorrow would flare up, overwhelm him like a tsunami, wracking his body with pain and grief, then recede again and leave him cold, empty.

When a voice called to him, he ignored it. His mind was confused. Tamahome... that wasn't his name, was it? He blinked, eyelids scratching over used eyes. They felt like embers behind his lids, little rocks of burning, swelling heat. Sore, red eyes met the miko's. An empty, flat, gray stare of her seishi.

Tamahome said nothing; just cast his gaze back down to the soft brown strands of his sister's hair.

Eventually, in a hoarse whisper, he said, "Leave me alone."

Tamahome had changed. Some part of him wasn't the same anymore. She couldn't simply let it go, though. She wanted to help him and take his pain away.

"Tamahome, please, you might get killed if you just sit here."

He looked terrifying, smeared with blood and stained with dried tears. She reached forward for him, then drew back.

"I can't find my brother," she whispered, "I'm scared he might be in trouble." She couldn't say the word dead. She couldn't even think it. Tamahome had said he'd be like a brother to her, hadn't he? She needed him to help everyone.

"Please, Sou-kun, think of Ji-hime! She still needs you."

A wolf beast whimpered as Nakago ran it through and then shut the doors, allowing himself a breather from the fight. The scene inside the nursery didn't seem to phase him in the slightest. He stalked over to Miaka and sheathed his sword again.

"Miaka-sama, we should move on. This section of the palace is clear and the guards will be able to take over while we clear the place out further." The man on the floor was beautiful but utterly pathetic.

"No, I can't leave him like this."

The girl was too sweet. She must have a more dark side to her. He hoped to get the chance to exploit it soon enough. He took Miaka's wrist and pulled her up.

"Come, he can't protect you." He began pulling her to the door with him.

It would have been like talking to a brick wall. Tamahome wasn't there anymore. However, two things rang in his head and dragged him back to the terror his mind tried to run from.

Miaka had said 'brother'. Miaka had said 'Ji'.

Ji-hime. She was somewhere out there, unconscious and vulnerable to the creatures. He had to protect her. She was all that was left of his diminishing circle of those he had deemed family. He didn't know anything else, just a fierce word that seemed to make his legs move again.

_Protect._

What's more, Miaka was being bullied, and Tamahome was in no mood to let that slip by.

The teal-haired seishi stirred. His breath started again in growing strength. He pulled the evidence of his terminal failure closer to his chest and rose on unsteady feet. Reaching out, he gathered the dolls Yuiren had held on to and the little red ribbon that had fallen from her hair.

The ribbon his mother had picked out for her child while she was pregnant. The ribbon she had bade him give to his new sister as a first birthday gift. The ribbon his mother gave him while the village doctor frantically tried to stop the hemorrhaging, while she lay dying as pools of her own blood bloomed like roses on her skirt. Fate is a wheel. His sanity teetered on a fine line like his balance, dipping below for a few moments to drag up the horror, then buoying again and turning the pain into action.

His arm shot out and grabbed the miko by her arm.

"I'll protect her," he said in a tone like dark iron.

His eyes narrowed in a half mad glare at the nameless blonde he knew only as Konan's enemy. His hair was matted on one side with Chuei's blood. It clung to his skull in clumps. The red smeared over the rest of his face was drying to a dark black, the white streams made by his shed tears was a war paint down his cheeks. He looked more like a tribal, something that belonged crawling along cliffs in the jungles covered in animal skins than a young Chinese man in a royal palace.

"Let's go." The words fell from his lips in flat darkness.

Nakago wasn't about to let his prize disappear from sight, but he released his grip on her arm. "I'll assist you. The wolves must be almost gone by now."

With Tamahome back on his feet again, Miaka felt relieved to see a little bit of his true self coming through. Overjoyed, she threw her arms around his waist from behind him in an embrace (carefully avoiding the bodies he still carried). Blood seeped through his clothes and into hers, making the fabric wet and heavy.

It was then that Miaka felt a jolt surge through her body. It was an unusual sensation, but she knew something was wrong.

_Miaka..._

She could hear Nuriko's voice in her head. What had happened to him? "Tamahome, do you want to go back to check on Ji-hime?"

***

Nuriko thought he heard a familiar scream as he passed the nursery, but was intent on getting to Tasuki before that moron got himself killed and so did not go to offer help. Knowing Tasuki, he was in a large group of those things and would be paying no attention to the beasts coming at his back.

The scene he stepped into was a chaos of blood, gore, and fire. And Tasuki was standing right in the middle of it laughing like an idiot. Nuriko charged in and took out a smaller beast that was headed towards Tasuki's unprotected back. "Looks like I showed up just in time, Genrou!"

Tasuki stood back to back with Nuriko, flinging flame and blade at the wolfbeasts in an effort to kill them as efficiently as they had killed the poor bastards laying on the cobbled stones.

Maids, guards, trained soldiers, everyone who had been in the way when these beasts had appeared lay slain. Their blood pooling and mingling with the greenish ooze that spilled from the beasts as Nuriko and Tasuki slew them.

Nuriko spun away from a rather close encounter with razor claws, leaving Tasuki's back unprotected. He compensated for the loss with a whirlwind of fire. The flames licked his skin, yet left no mark. Danced in his hair, yet singed not a single strand. He controlled the fire, belonged to it; it would not harm him.

After taking care of a large beast, Nuriko turned to face another winged monster and spotted another beast lunging for Tasuki's side just as the bandit dropped his whirlwind to fling flames at the beast he was fighting. He ran at Tasuki full tilt, cringing in pain as claws ripped open his ribs but he used the last bit of his strength to shove his friend out of the way.

Tasuki fell forward onto his hands and knees with a grunt. He turned to growl at Nuriko for getting clumsey, but was stopped dead by the sight of Nuriko laying on the ground, bleeding buckets, and gripping the massive jaws of one of the beasts. Tasuki cried out, getting to his feet, but the beasts jaws clamped over Nuriko's throat.

A sickening squelch and the loud snap of bones was his only warning.

Nuriko's head rolled across the pavement to bump against Tasuki's boot, staring up in horror at the bandit. Pain lanced through him as he felt Nuriko die, then a pulse of molten heat raced through him. The feeling was similar to the feeling he got when he controlled the flames of his tessen, only this was so much stronger than that.

With a cry of agony and dispair, a wave of blue fire rolled out and away from Tasuki's body, incinerating everything in it's path save for the fallen seishi's body.

Tasuki picked up the head of his fellow seishi and returned it to his body, then raised the tessen high and said a prayer for Nuriko's spirit to find eternal peace in Suzaku's wings.

Once more the holy fires of the tessen ignighted, only this time they were done in honor of the fallen brother at his feet. Once Nuriko's body was reduced to ash, Tasuki sat on the ground and cried for his lost brother.

Hotohori slashed his way through the palace calling for Miaka, but unable to find her. As he turned another corner he felt a shiver go through his body. In that moment, he knew that someone had died. He saw Tasuki in the distance setting fire to something. He came up behind him as the flames disappeared, leaving only ash behind.

"Tasuki."

He announced his presence so the man before him could collect himself.

"Nuriko was a brave warrior and will be sorely missed. He was a good friend. Unfortunately with this attack we don't have time to mourn. We need to protect everyone. The wolves are almost destroyed. Soon we can mourn the losses of our friends."

He cleared his throat nervously, hoping Tasuki wouldn't take offense to the fact he was no longer with Miaka.

The warrior was waylaid in the palace. Kaen fought her hardest, but it was more luck than anything that she rounded the next corner alive each time. Most of the people had cleared out, either through the doors or through the ceiling on the wings of their god. Still, screams and crashing could be heard in echoing ghosts from the deep reaches of the endless hall ways.

What used to be a beautiful palace was now a frightening smear of gore. If her foreigner had seen it, he would have said it looked like the dark hallways of "Resident Evil" or "Silent Hill". She stalked down the hallways, keen eyes searching for predators.

Kaen's arm was bleeding, the dripping of her blood made patting sounds against the tiled floor in the silence. Around the next corner, she heard voices. They were talking calmly enough for the situation. On the floor in this passage she could hardly see the marble. It was lined with dozens of the creatures. Whoever the voices belonged to were either blessed by the goddess to have not fallen prey to the sheer number of them, or what was in the hallway was the pack's target.

She turned the corner and decided immediately that it was the latter. Her second most hated thing, the beasts wrestled the number one spot away from the bandit when she had seen the carnage, was on his knees in a ring of fallen werewolves. Houjun-san had asked her to protect the people in this palace and, unfortunately, that included the number two ribbon holder. The Amazon glanced around the hallway. There was nothing left to kill the man, so she needn't linger here and she was grateful for that.

She turned and continued.

Tasuki silently nodded, tears still streaming down his cheeks. He couldn't talk just yet, not without disgracing himself with cracked and high pitched tones anyway, and so just got to his feet and turned angry, weeping eyes to his Emperor.

_Just tell me that it wasn't in vain. That his sacrifice means that he didn't die to save someone unworthy._ He pleaded silently, hoping that Hotohori could read the unspoken message in his eyes.

He cleared his throat, allowing himself to focus on the anger and rage rather than the bitter sorrow. "Let's kill those mother fuckers." His voice was low, harsh with sadness and hatred. "Let's go kill 'em all!"

As if in response to Tasuki's wish, four more beasts stalked around the corner, fangs bared and claws extended.

"No!" cried a beast from behind them, "I saw."

He shoved his way to the forefront. And, though keeping his distance, he bowed his head toward the bandit.

"He Fire-Bringer. He Master."

The others howled, in rough, animal tones.

"Master. Master."

***

Tamahome followed Miaka and the Shogun. The newly redecorated hallways of bodies and blood added to the strange unreality Tamahome floated in. Every now and then, the reality would settle like leaves kicked up in a wind, and he would squeeze his eyes shut. He would grab for his head and start shaking, and then it would be gone again in a soothing voice that told him it was a dream. Tamahome held firmly to Miaka's arm and walked her through the palace at a brisk place. He didn't know the man with her aside from his brief appearance at the dinner last night (last night? It seemed like years ago).

The lights were out and the hallway reeked. From somewhere in the distance there came a bizarre shout. Tamahome darted a glance to either side of the hallway. The way out was towards that voice and he didn't like that at all. The voice had been joined by a dark chorus of other rough almost barking voices to form a chant that chilled Tamahome's blood.

He turned his head toward Miaka, finally letting go of her arm in favor of it resting his finger against his lips in a hushing gesture, and crept through the halls towards the sound. They made their way down the passageway and the chanting got louder. Finally, the beasts were in sight. They had their backs turned towards the approaching group and Tamahome ushered Miaka around the edge of the wall. Even though it was terrifying, it was oddly compelling - like a trance - and Tamahome was drawn to it. He tried to keep his eyes focused down the hall to their exit, but it begged him to look.

It's then that what the beasts were chanting settled on his ears, a reverent mantra of _master_. In the center on the pack, standing amidst the bowing wolves was Tasuki. The final piece of his absurd puzzle fell into place with a click. _Genrou._ The wolf pack's leader.

Tasuki stared wide eyed at the chanting beasts, shocked to the core that these beings were calling him 'master'. "What are ya talkin' about?! Get out of here! Ya murder my friend, then turn around an' call me master? Ya think that's gonna save yer filthy hides from my fire?! Fuck you!" he screamed, holding his tessen in the engard position and allowing the holy flames to whirl around him once again.

The flames flickered blue and orange, the blue bleeding through more as his anger rose. "Hotohori, press yer back to mine an' watch these fuckers burn!" He waited until the Emperor did as asked and then pushed more of his waining ki into the flames.

The wolves slunk back, mewling pitifully, still chanting _Master, Master!_ with increasing reverance. A single beast crawled forward on it's claws, his head down in submission. "Kill not. We serve, Firebringer," it growled in an almost pleading tone.

Tasuki's fire burned brighter blue, the whirls of it flaring higher. "You mutherfuckers killed one 'a my brothers! You all fucking _**DIE!**_" He screamed out the incantation, sending out a wave of white flame that incinerated the last of the wolves.

He watched dispassionately as their ashes blew away in the wind.

Turning to face Hotohori, he collapsed to his knees and sobbed for Nuriko.

Though it seemed to Tasuki that he had massacred all five of the beasts which looked to him as lord, the fifth had mysteriously escaped the blazing of the iron fire-fan.

It stood in the shadows behind him, his voice purposefully audible to the man who hid just around the corner.

"Master. Why? We serve you. We only do what your heart desires. We follow you everywhere."

And again, with a supernatural swiftness and a mournful howl, the beast dashed inside the closest room and leapt out the open window.

The Emperor pressed his back to the back of the bandit as they fought off the creatures. Yet the beasts called Tasuki their Master. They crawled towards him as if bowing before their ruler.

When they were destroyed and Tasuki collapsed, Hotohori knelt with him. He hugged the man beside him as he would one of his brothers. No, perhaps more warmly than that.

When the last creature spoke, the Emperor had no choice but to suspect his 'brother' of murder. He only stared down the now empty hall with blank eyes. They were going to have to begin the process of cleaning up the mess; a task he would pass off to his soldiers.

Miaka and the remaining seishi needed rest.

As the last wolf disappeared, Miaka could hardly believe her ears. Tasuki seemed to be the one responsible for everything that had happened to them. No, that couldn't be right!

Could it?

With an empty hallway in front of her Miaka stepped into sight. She wanted to believe in the man she loved but the stupid demons made it so tough! She took a few steps forward, tugging at Tamahome's sleeve in an effort to keep him close to her. She suddenly felt very afraid of Tasuki.

"Tasu-chan...?" Her voice trailed off, leaving her simply questioning his name. She felt Nakago's hand on her shoulder and glanced down. His hand twitched at the hilt of his sword, ready to fight if needed.

The words whirled in Tamahome's mind, ringing, mingling, and repeating with the screams of accusation from his siblings. They cleared away the clutter, cleared away the doubt. Tasuki was the one responsible for everything. Tasuki was the one who set the beasts on his village. Tasuki was the one who gave them orders to tear his precious family to shreds.

_Tasuki_

His mind spit out the name like black tar. Something pulled on him and he pushed it aside, taking one more step closer to the devil in the hallway. Carefully he lay his siblings down, placing a single last kiss on Yuiren's forehead.

_Tasuki!_

"For you," he told her, his eyes covered in the deep shadow of the already darkened halls.

Tamahome straightened slowly, a pulsing glow lit the hall way from below his bangs. It beat in time with his heart, red as the blood that painted the walls. A homicidal flash glinted in Tamahome's eyes. His hands clenched to fists and he leapt forward screaming his enemy's name.

What was left of his ki focused into his palm. His knuckles came slamming down on an unsuspecting, weeping bandit's cheekbone.

Tasuki's shoulders shook with his grief. He was aware of neither Hotohori's embrace nor the beastman's parting words. He was aware of nothing but the ache until an iron fist rammed into his cheek.

His head snapped around, knocking him down to rest on his elbows. Cupping a hand over his bleeding mouth, Tasuki looked up to see what had hit him and was surprised to see a gore covered, rage-filled Tamahome. "T-Tama? The hell?" He got to his feet and raised wet, confused eyes to Tamahome.

Tamahome didn't let him get any further. He grabed him by the hair, dragging him down and bringing his knee up to meet the boy's nose.

"You LIAR!" he cried.

Tasuki was too stunned by the utter hatred in Tamahome's voice to realize that he was being attacked until his nose felt as if it had been shoved into a brick wall. He gagged and pulled out of Tamahome's grasp, spitting blood out to add to the rather gory floor.

"What th' fuck?!" he growled, spinning away to put more distance between them. He wiped away the blood trickling from his nose and dropped into a fighting stance, his tessen and the sword he'd lifted from a soldier clanged to the ground not far from the bodies of Tamahome's family. "Come on! Ya wanna kill me over what some fucking beast said, fine. I wanna see ya fucking do it!"

Tamahomes eyes narrowed and he charged. He needed no more incentive to do so. Tasuki was his target now and the only thing he could hear clearly over the pain was his rage.

Tasuki waited until Tamahome was less than an inch from him before grabbing his shirt and spinning on his heel, flinging the other seishi away from him. He didn't understand the situation and so did not want to actually hurt Tamahome until it became impossible to avoid.

"Tama, I don't know what the fuck is wrong with ya, but shouldn't ya be checkin' on your kids? Them fuckin' demons could'a..." he stopped as he got a really good look at Tamahome's eyes. There was something wrong, and it had just gotten worse.

"My kids?" Tamahome shouted with an insane laugh. He was on him again, with a swift punch to the mans' stomach. Then, before the other could draw in another breath, strong fingers wraped around the soft flesh of Tasuki's throat. He twisted his sworn seishi brother's head as if to take it off, turning his neck to face the mangled children in the coridor.

"Why don't you take a look, Tasuki?!" He swept the bandit's feet out from under him with out taking his hands off of his neck, landing them both on the floor next to his siblings with a squshy thud.

Yuiren's one open eye stared dreamily out at them.

Tasuki gaped in horror, tears welling again as he reached a hand out for Yuiren's fingers. He didn't care that he couldn't breathe, he wouldnt have been able to breathe anyway. Yuiren looked as if she were pretending to sleep, and peeking to make sure that no one knew she was awake.

Chuei's half-eaten face was mere inches above Yuiren's, leaving no doubt as to what had happened to them. It clicked.

They all thought that HE was to blame for the wolf demons attacks! He clawed at Tamahome's hands with his free hand, still gently touching Yuiren's fingers, "I didn't," he forced out, the lack of oxygen finally registering. "I could never ever hurt them! Please! You have to believe me! I don't have anything to do with those fucking beasts!"

A sharp smack hit Tasuki's face. "Don't you dare touch her!" Tamahome spat out, bearing his teeth in a snarl.

Tamahome's eyes were wide and unstable, green tinted below the gray.

Tasuki yelled, still clawing at the fingers cutting off his air supply. He couldn't look away from the babies that lay cuddled together in an eternal nap.

Nakago stayed back from the group, taking in all the information about them he could. It's amazing they had managed to survive this long when they were all clearly so weak and pitiful. He nodded to Hotohori and gestured to the hall before leaving. He would help them clean up the mess and get the guards organized. Then they would begin to trust him.

The fight took a turn for the worse as Nakago wandered away. Tamahome was trying to choke Tasuki! Miaka's eyes went wide but she didn't know what to do. She needed to stop the fighting somehow.

She ran towards them and threw herself towards Tamahome. Her arms wrapped around him from behind and her fingers clenched the fabric over his chest, touching his skin. He was burning up! She put her head on his shoulder and pulled back as much as she could, even though she was unable to move him.

"Tamahome! Please stop!" she sobbed, trying to pull him off. "Yuiren and Chuei wouldn't want this. Please!" She felt like a little child again, pleading with her Papa not to leave their family.

Hotohori wasn't about to let the madness get completely out of control. He had called for the guards and a few waited at the end of the hall. Tasuki may not be a traitor, but that was a chance he simply couldn't take this night. He would have to keep him away from the others until they could find a better time to talk. To talk calmly and explain what happened... he deserved that much.

Tamahome looked utterly confused for a second, frantically shrugging off the weight on his back. Then, the pleas of his miko filtered into his mind amongst the wild thoughts of revenge.

He twitched, blinking and shaking his head. Tamahome tightened his grip, then loosened it and tightened again as if he couldn't make up his mind. His hand shot up to his temple, clawing at the flesh there.

"They-"

Tears sprung up out of eyes that thought they were used up. His eyes glared down at the man under him and hit him with a point blank shot to the nose, redoubling his efforts to choke the air out of him. He pulled Tasuki to him by that grip.

"They trusted you," he growled, hoping Tasuki took those last words to the hell he was headed for.

Tasuki stared up into enraged eyes. He couldn't believe that Tama actually thought that he was to blame for the beast attacks. The utter desolation and lack of something to live for darkened Tamahome's usually soft blue-gray eyes to a near muddy blue-green. That look accompanied by those words were enough to plant a seed of fear in his mind.

Something was terribly wrong.

"I didn't hurt them," he pushed out as the clenching and releasing hands throbbed around his throat. "I never sent anyone to hurt them. Please! Believe me! I have no idea why those beasts did what they did, but it ain't my fault. Someone's gotta be controlling them, but it ain't me."

Miaka kept tugging at Tamahome, trying to get him to let go. She looked to Hotohori to help but he didn't seem to know quite how he should interfere. The guards were getting closer to the men struggling on the floor.

"Tamahome, please believe him!" She grabbed his wrists and tried to pull them back from Tasuki's throat. It didn't seem to make a difference. Tamahome was trapped in his own nightmare and she was living hers.

The sound of Tasuki fighting to breath was too much for her to take. She shrieked and started tugging harder at Tamahome's wrists.

"Tamahome! You're killing him!" she sobbed and fell back on her butt. Her hairdo, barely staying in place from all the excitement, jostled again and a red ribbon tied into her hair fell out, flittering to the floor beside Tasuki's neck.

Hotohori stayed back, waiting. If Tamahome didn't release his grip soon he'd be forced to have the guards split the two up.

A sneer working its way to Tamahome's lips. He _knew_ he was killing him, and it was the least of what he deserved. Traitor, liar, murderer. In Tamahome's eyes a flicker of his soul ignited bright green. The seishi shoved aside his miko; she wasn't going to rob him of the pleasure of snuffing out the life of the murderer of his entire family.

He pressed harder, feeling Tasuki's throat caving in, and then froze. A single red ribbon fell to the blood-stained floor in the center of his vision. Deeper red bloomed on the bright fabric. The seishi's eyes shot open in panic, the frightening flicker in died away with a scream.

A tremor ran through his body. Tamahome let go of Tasuki's neck, flinging his hand to his eyes and wailing. He stumbled backward, hit the wall hard and slid down the slick surface. Tamahome curled in on himself as if he was frightened by the thing on the floor. And why wouldn't he be? What he heard in that moment chilled his soul. A sudden shouting of his dead. Shouting and wailing. They screamed at him as if HE was the monster. At that moment, Tamahome knew he was in hell.

Tamahome peeked out one frightened eye over to the ribbon. It was silent now, but he knew it would come back.

Tasuki watched through all of it. He had seen the flickering of insanity, the flashing of dark green in wild eyes, and he'd seen his own death gazing back at him with it's hollow eyed grin.

At that moment, when he'd seen the pit of anger and hatred in Tamahome's eyes, he gave up any shred of self preservation. This man, this usually gentle and fun man hated him enough to kill him with his bare hands. Maybe the demon beasts had been right, maybe he was the reason for all of it. He had been there each and every time they had shown up, had made it out of situations that would have killed anyone else, and now the beasts had claimed that he was their master.

It had to be his fault! Why else could such an easy going and nice guy try and kill him with his bare hands?

The gripping hands dropped him abruptly and he immediatly wished them back. He lay exactly where Tamahome had dropped him and waited for him to finish what he had started. It had to be his fault, but if it was, then why would he have his friends and loved ones killed? No! That wasn't what he wanted! He wanted all of them alive! He couldn't be the one controlling them...

Could he?

"Tasuki!"

Miaka reached forward to hug him as he lay on the floor, unmoving. He was breathing, thank the gods, but he was still. She wiped away her tears and held onto him, resting her cheek against his chest. The way his heartbeat sounded was more beautiful than music to her in that moment.

It was the feeling of hands pulling her back that snapped her out of it. Strong hands pulled her up to her feet against her will. They didn't hurt, but they were firm. It was Hotohori.

The guards were lifting Tasuki to his feet much more forceably and tying his hands behind his back. One of them snatched up the Tessen and passed it to the Emperor.

"No, Tasuki! What are you doing?" The words came out angry and frustrated. It had been a long day and all she wanted was to lie with Tasuki now.

"I'm sorry Miaka, but until we have more evidence regarding what's happened here today we need to keep Tasuki locked up. Tasuki, I hope you understand."

The guards began to force him away, off towards the cells. Hotohori kept a firm hold on Miaka's shoulders as she reached out for him. She dropped to the floor on her knees, staring at the pile of ash before her. She scooped up a handful, knowing exactly who it was she held in the palm of her hand.

Tasuki's gaze stuck to Tamahome until the man slumped against the wall. Obviously he wasn't going to finish the job. He turned his gaze to Miaka, frowning in confusion. "Miaka, I'm innocent. Don't ya believe me?"

"Tasu-chan, I…" was all she could manage to say.

The guards started dragging him down the hallway towards the dungeons, and Tasuki snapped. "No! Goddamnit! I'm not the one controlling those beasts! You've got to believe me! Hotohori! Miaka! Tamahome! Someone, please, believe me!" he wriggled, fought, and kicked, trying anything to get out of the guards' hold. Feeling like a liar because he wasn't sure if what he claimed was the actual truth.

She forced herself back up to her feet. Tamahome had huddled in the corner, away from something that was frightening. She wished she knew the words to say to comfort him and make it all better. Yet she didn't. She couldn't save anyone...

She closed her fingers around the ash tightly.

Tamahome dropped his hands and slumped down the wall. There were no more tears to cry, he just hung his head and stared at his hands. He had never wanted to kill someone before and for the urge to fill him with such a feeling of power and justice... it scared him.

He closed his hands and tucked his head to his knees, shaking his head. He didn't want something like that to be inside of him.

Hotohori held Miaka as Tasuki was dragged off, knowing how hurt she must be. He wanted to believe Tasuki as well, but they needed proof. His people would need to know who was responsible and see that they were punished appropriately.

"It's going to be okay, Miaka. You'll see." Sure, he hardly believed the words but he needed to give her some hope. Tamahome clearly had none left. He tilted her chin up and tried to smile at her.

"You should go take a relaxing bath and get into bed. We'll deal with the rest of this in the morning." He took another look at Tamahome and felt a shiver run down his spine. "Would you... make sure he gets to his room safely?"

She nodded and watched the Emperor leave to command his guards on clean up duty. They would be up all night scrubbing the palace so clean not a spot of blood remained. Miaka touched Tamahome's head gently, brushing aside his hair to wipe a spot of blood away.

"Ta-" she stopped barely before she began. Some part of her could sense that Keisuke wasn't dead, but she was even more alone in this strange place now.

"Onii-chan?" she left her hand resting on his arm, "We need to get cleaned up. Let's take a bath, ne?"

Tamahome felt every muscle in his body renew, lift up like a flower to the sun. His eyes widened and a hopeful smile lit his face. Turning his head to the girl, he saw his sister, beautiful, smiling sweetly, touching his arm gently. He lifted his hand to hers and felt relief flow through him.

"Thank the gods!" he nearly choked on his tears of joy.

Tamahome gathered Yuiren into his arms and held her tightly.

"I love you. My precious, precious girl. I'll never let you go again."

He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck  
(not small enough)  
and kissed her hair.  
(too long)

"You can't leave me Yuiren. Never again. You can't."

Then, his mind caught up to his foolish imagination. The girl he was holding was older. The girl he was holding was different. The girl he was holding was alive. Tamahome pulled away from the tender embrace and held Miaka out in front of him.

His heart broke.

The hope inside him, everything inside him, wilted. He would never get to tell Yuiren he loved her ever again. Chuei, Gyokuran, Shunkei. All the same, all rotting, all asking their oldest brother why he failed them.

He said nothing to Miaka in way of apology or otherwise, Tamahome had no voice left for anyone. If she spoke to him, he didn't hear, Tamahome had no need to listen. He just moved Miaka aside and went to pick up the last of his family. Only the bottom half of his body seemed up to the task. He walked to the pile of child and children bits and then even his legs didn't want to work anymore.

Tamahome collapsed in front of them, staring off to somewhere else. Ji. Ji was his last hope, his last oasis in this desert. He'd find her, if she still lived, and he'd go to her.

It came down to that. If he came back to her beautiful body marred and mutilated, Tamahome would give up. He would take no more food, drink no more water. Suicide by neglect, by wasting away. If he was lucky there was a way to cry your heart still. The end might come in painful bouts of starvation and dehydration, eating his body from the inside out, and that was ok. But if, _IF,_ the gods gave him that last chance, he'd serve her until the ends of the earth. He would do anything to make her happy, and he would never leave her side.

Tamahome had hugged her and kissed her, speaking to Yuiren. The look on his face when he realized that she wasn't his sister broke Miaka's heart as well. The bodies lying on the floor of the palace were too mutilated for her to stand looking at even a moment more.

She didn't know what else to do in order to get him to take care of himself. Just for a night, she wanted him to be okay. In order to do that, she would have to help him with the bodies.

Gently, she stuck beside him. She helped him carry the children and get them to the room where the dead were taken care of. The woman doing the work had clearly been crying over the many mutilated bodies she'd been forced to work on, but didn't object to the request of the Miko to treat these children with the most tender and loving care. "Treat them as the children of Emperor Saihitei," Miaka instructed. The woman also took Nuriko's ashes, promising Miaka a 'tribute' for their departed friend.

Now she needed to convince Tamahome that he should rest. The once lively and energetic young man was a shell of himself. She held onto his hand, afraid that a lack of human contact would allow his spirit the chance to escape his body for good.

"Onii-chan, we need to rest." Her voice warbled but she couldn't cry. "I'm afraid those things might come back. Please stay with me."

Tamahome stood in the doorway of the witch-woman who was going to bury his beloved children, and hated her. He hated that she cried for them, she hadn't kown them. The last kiss of his poor babies lingered on his lips in a brand of cold and blood. In his hands he clutched the last throwing knife and the one doll he had given Yuiren. He left the other's in her tiny hands to keep her company in the dark grave she was headed for. Around his wrist, he tied the red ribbon.

Miaka spoke to him. Tamahome winced. One sudden, sharp movement. Why did she call him that? It ran a lance through his heart every time it left her lips, but he also felt that he needed to stay with her. She was alone, and she didn't have anyone else. Tamahome's wounded heart wanted to reach out to her, but he was so afraid. Afraid she would be taken from him too. No, he didn't want anyone else to leave, didn't want to have someone else who the gods could use to toy with his heart.

He opened his mouth to speak. From far away his voice gave him a few last words that needed to reach her.

"The Emperor will stay with you if you ask."

He said it in a voice barely above a whisper. It was haunting as if the words came to him from beyond the grave. And why not? That's where he was. Who Tamahome had been was being buried along with the two remaining members of his family.

Tamahome turned away from his miko with out further explaination. He walked to find where his beloved had been taken and see if she was waiting for him.


	33. Chapter 32

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Eiyou Palace

The palace was a den of horrors. Most of the innocent workers and such had fled at first sight of the demon-beasts and the halls were mostly deserted. She still did find a few stragglers who's basic instinct was to hid instead of run. She had not scene hide of hair of the beasts for a long time now, nor had the howling sounds reached her ears. Kaen instructed them to leave through the nearest doorway certain they would find safety quickly.

Kaen was making a sweep of the palace, still not encountering the fiends who had done this, when she came upon a large wooden door with intricate iron scroll work. It was slightly ajar and she pushed the heavy door open further, ready for an attack.

The room was silent, stacks and shelves of books were the only things that groaned at her.

"Is anyone in here?" she questioned the dark

Panic was a sensation Ou was used to, but it tended to be panic over books, exams, or other things that would fade or that could be gotten over. Being in fear for his life, on the other hand, was a very new situation. Having retreated to the one safe place he had, he had listened, and when the creatures had come, he shut himself into his cell and had tried very hard to disappear into the shelves that surrounded him. One of the creatures had even looked inside, but had either not seen him or mistaken him for someone who was already dead.

After they had left, the few scholars who were left, and still alive, tried to make sense of all the things that had just happened. The summoning's failure, the appearance of the wolves, the Kutou ambassadorship that had just arrived. All of it seemed to look toward the Shogun as being particularly crafty and able. It was in the middle of trying to figure out whether the Emperor would be able to press for war, when the sound of the Amazon warrior who had been present rang in.

"Is anyone in here?"

"If you have food and wine, we're here," one of the older scholars laughed, mistaking the Amazon for a servant girl.

"How is the world outside? Still burning?" one of the other scholars said. "And here we sit, trying to be useful in our way, just being useless, unless by some miracle, the Emperor should actually ask our counsel."

The Amazon raised an eyebrow to the comments. Neither voice seemed as pressed about the situation as they were about keeping their positions in the imbecile's council. She entered the library and stormed up to the circle of scholars.

"Cowardly fools," she scolded them. "Stop your wallowing and make for the nearest exit if you want to save your useless necks."

Spotting that young boy from earlier, the warrior woman smirked. "You too boy. This is no place for children," she said, grabbing him by the shoulder and setting him on his feet.

"There are people to help outside."

Kaen turned to leave. These sniffling cowards could show themselves out.

After the warrior set him on his feet, Ou realized that he had probably been very lucky she hadn't decided to snap him in two in the summoning chamber. He still wasn't particularly fond of being called "boy", especially because of his high rank, but he was used to it.

The scholars weren't inclined to take the word of an Amazon, but one of the elders among them wisely pointed out that if the paper around them should start burning, it would be a disaster for them and the Empire. Faced with such logic, the scholars agreed to relocate their discussion to a safer place. Each of them picked up the few remaining scrolls they had with them, packed their materials, and shuffled out, still arguing the finer points of a possible declaration of war. Ou and the elder statesmen stuck around to the end, Ou because he had no idea where he was going, and the old scholar to make sure that everyone actually left. The library staff had done an excellent job of fireproofing things before leaving, so he wasn't worried about the scrolls or the books, even if the whole palace should burn down around them.

"By the way, Ou, we were looking at essays before this whole thing began. You wrote one of the most clear treatises on virtuous government since Master Kong. When I have a moment, I'll get the Emperor to make it official, but you should see one of the tailors and be outfitted for court clothes. Here will be your home from now on."

Ou was stunned, and bowed low to the elder scholar. "You do me great honor, Master Moh."

"Ceremony later, Master Dokun. First, we try to survive." There was a twinkle in the old man's eye, as if he was finally able to do something that he'd been wanting to do for years. The two of them left, pulling the library's door closed, and when Ou made to follow the other scholars, the scholar shook his head and pointed in a different direction. "As a younger man, this was the fastest way to get out of the palace, assuming that nobody saw you when you cut across the courtesan's court. It was a game of ours to see how long we could linger and still be able to outrun our pursuit. I think this time, all we will have to outrun are the fire crews." The old man headed in the new direction with surprising speed, leaving Ou with little choice but to follow him.

***

Mitsukake didn't bother to stop and try to help anyone who provided the distractions he needed to get away. Under ordinary circumstances, he may have had a moral battle with himself over this, but seeing that he did not have a) any fighting prowess beyond his huge size b) his healing powers, he was pretty well useless to anyone else anyway. Instead, he carried the monk in his arms and ran as fast as he could.

Once he made his way to the doctor's home which the Emperor had indicated, a block or so away from the hell-house that was the palace, he knocked on the door loudly. A small bespectacled man with a soft white mustache opened the door and peered out at him.

"Man down," Mitsukake said simply.

"Come on in..." he said apprehensively. Once Mitsukake was in, he shut and bolted the door.

"Is he... from the palace?" the man asked, as Mitsukake set the monk down on the first bed he came to.

"Yeah, there's a lot of wolf-demons there, but this guy got stabbed and electrocuted by a psycho Amazon chick."

"W-wolf demons, you say?"

Mitsukake went straight for the man's medical supplies.

"Excuse me! Please don't touch those. They should be used by a trained professional," the man said, bustling over.

"Listen, doc, I'm a doctor too, and this guy's my... sorta-friend thing. So I'm going to take care of him."

"You really expect me to believe--" the man's words were cut short when he saw the bandaging job the supposed doctor had done with only two strips of colored fabric. Still, any soldier could manage that. That wasn't enough to...

Mitsukake went on to measure out a bit of disinfectant in a bottle that was labeled with the special shorthand only the palace physician knew. The man tilted his head to the side. Apparently, appearances could be deceiving.

"I only have one more question..." the man said.

The hulking doctor kept working, but he seemed to be listening.

"Is the Emperor all right? Are the wolf-demons going to be coming here?"

"That's two questions. And yeah, the big guy is fine. Maybe a little delusional, but fine. And they might come over here, but I think they'll be pretty full once they get done with everyone in the palace."

The doctor clutched his heart.

Mitsukake finished tending to Chichiri. This was all he could do until his powers returned, and at the very least, the monk would live. Now he just needed rest. Tama leapt from his owner's shoulder onto Chichiri's chest. He peered at the monk worriedly and then curled up on his chest. And Mitsukake, well, he needed a drink. So he helped himself to a bottle of sake the hapless physician left out on the table.

Tamahome paused at the door to the Palace healer, his hand laying gently on the red painted wood. His heart told him in a frightened voice that she wasn't here, and his mind told him she was dead already, but still he needed to just check.

This was where she had to be if Suzaku hadn't taken her from him as well.

He heard a flapping above him as a crow settled on the ledge of the roof. Tamahome glanced up at it and they seemed to stare at each other, waiting. A tremor ran up his spine. Did he want to know the answer? Could he handle one more loved one being erased from this world forever?

_GO!_

A voice demanded from inside him.

Tamahome stepped through the doorway.

Inside, the doctor who had tried to violate Ji was sitting alone with a large bottle of alcohol and a stupid look on his face. A sneer tugged at the corner of his lip. Tamahome looked around. Chichiri was lying down on a bed, knocked out he supposed, but there was no sign of Ji-hime.

He shot a glare down at the doctor.

"Where is she?"

The palace physician timidly stepped back, horrified, when the stranger entered the room. The stranger's face was painted in blood. His hair was caked with it, matted to his forehead. His hollow eyes were devoid of emotion. All rational thought fled the doctor's mind, and he shook in place next to the bed where the monk lay.

"Holy crap, you look like shit. Look like you need a drink." Mitsukake squinted one eye and peered into the bottle with the other.

"But you'll have to get your own, cause I drank it all."

The blue-haired seishi's green eye's narrowed. If a look could kill, Mistukake would be laying dead next to his precious liquor. Unfortunately, he wasn't and besides, he still needed an answer out of the 'doctor'.

"What happened to her!" he demanded again, one side of his upper lip twitched in a snarl.

That was it. The physician dove underneath the bed where Tama had already hidden himself. The two looked at each other fearfully, and then hugged each other as well as a man and a fairly sentient cat could.

"Woah, jeez, calm down, killer."

Mitsukake was strangely calm in the face of Tamahome's anger, probably due, in large part, to the alcohol bubbling in his blood.

"Some beast took her off somewhere. Got good taste, huh?" Mitsukake shifted his elbow on the table and the sake bottle slipped over the edge and clattered to the floor noisily.

Tamahome's eyes went wide and then narrowed. The bumbling doctor had lost her to them.

_But, she's not dead yet. No one saw her die, so she's not dead yet._

A small voice insisted behind the urge to kill this drunken catastrophe.

_I'll kill him later._

A darker intention voiced itself in the more immediate reaches of Tamahome's mind.

"Useless," he spat out and turned on his heal.

If the beasts carried her away, he'd need to hurry. He'd need to find her before they had a chance to hurt the only thing left. He burst back out the door. The black bird that had perched atop the roof took off in a flurry of feathers when the heavy wooden door slammed into the side of the hut. The feathers fell, but disappeared before they touched the ground.

Tamahome didn't notice. He was headed for one place, with one thing on his mind. Go to where he last left his princess and pick up the trail of the creatures that took his beloved.

"What crawled up his ass?" Mitsukake asked, kicking the bottle away from his foot.

He made his way over to the bed, pulled up the sheets that draped down over the side, and peered in at the doctor and the cat.

"Hey, you got any more of the good stuff? I'm going to need some to get through this night."

The man, still shaking violently, nodded and pointed a shaky finger to a cabinet on the floor.

Mitsukake let the sheet fall back down, pulled open the cabinet, and procured a couple bottles of wine. Being that drinking with someone was always much more fun than drinking alone, he offered one of the bottles to the convulsing physician. At this, the man seemed to calm enough to at least come out from under the bed, and the two of them sat together at the table in the room, trying to drink themselves into a bit of sanity.

A short time after the dust had settled from the rather disruptive visit from Tamahome, Kaen came through the door in a whirlwind. She didn't much care for the way the two 'healers' appeared to have polished off two bottles of sake. She didn't bother with introductions and didn't speak a word as she strode up to the Monk's side.

Kaen studied Chichiri's face and gently placed her hand over the bandages dressing his side. At least one of the doctors had been competent enough to properly wrap him up.

"What's his condition?" she finally asked the two drunkards sitting on the wall.

"Heesh fiine," the palace physician responded, "Just needsh shome resht. Want a ridink?" he added. His nose and cheeks were flushed with alcohol. He was what Mitsukake would call a lightweight.

The seishi-healer got up and walked over to the side of the bed. He looked down at the monk along with the Amazon.

"Yeah. I can't heal him with my powers yet, but I wrapped him up, so he'll just hafta rest now," Mitsukake said.

He gave him a poke in the ribs where he'd been stabbed, which seemed to summon the monk from wherever he'd gone because he shouted, "Itai, no da!"

"Awake already?" Mitsukake asked.

He tipped a bottle of rum to his lips, but most of the liquid missed his mouth and dribbled down onto Chichiri's exposed face. With visible effort, Chichiri sat up and wiped the alcohol off his face. When he noticed that the only ones attending him were Kaen and the drunk doctor, he looked up at Kaen.

He hadn't regenerated a new mask, so his face was open to the world, and his one eye looked to Kaen with worry.

"What happened at the palace, no da? Is everyone all right?"

Kaen closed her eyes and grit her teeth to ward off fighting the only two healers the palace had. The civilians needed their doctors, even if they were inebriated beyond belief. Instead, she focused on Chichiri, glad he had awoken.

"The palace has been attacked, but the beasts are gone now." She tried to explain as simply an evenly as possible. "Most of the workers got out. For those who didn't make it, I can only pray they were gone before the end came. Most of the soldiers of Suzaku were inside the palace last I checked. I'm sure they got out fine, the beasts seemed to clear out quickly. Even though I came directly here, I heard gossip of an arrest for the man responsible."

Kaen took a step forward and placed her hand on the monk's shoulder.

"You should be getting some more rest." Her eyes flicked to the wound she had inflicted on him. "I hadn't meant to hurt you, Houjun-san."

Chichiri nodded gravely as Kaen debriefed him on the recent attack.

"I know you didn't mean to hurt me, Kaen-san, no da. But I couldn't let you hurt Tasuki-kun either, no da. He might say some stupid things sometimes, but he's a very important friend to me, na no da."

Kaen had just parted her lips to interject that his life for the loud mouth bandit was no where near an even exchange when he explained his reasoning behind his actions. Kaen closed her mouth and observed the monk's wishes. She didn't understand why such a good-natured person would consider that thing a friend, but Houjun had earned her respect enough for her to at least let his personal decisions go without question.

He reached up and drew his hand down his face, and once he finished, he was smiling that big cheerful grin that he always had.

"I need to speak with Hotohori-sama about Ji-hime, no da."

He was careful not to give away too much information. Although the palace physician was pretty far gone, he couldn't risk the panic that might ensue if any of this information leaked out.

Carefully, Chichiri raised his aching body out of the bed. He shifted his shirt back on, and fastened his kesa around himself.

There was a rapid knock at the door, and when it opened, a palace guard requested the palace physicians. The two drunkards looked at each other. Mitsukake shrugged, knocked back the rest of his rum, then tossed the bottle.

"Bring the good stuff. This'll take awhile. And I better get a raise after this one," he added.

The palace physician bustled about gathering supplies, dropping them, and then finally stuffing them all into a basket. Once the doctors left, Chichiri and Kaen were left in silence. Already he was feeling the lack of his staff. He wouldn't have anything to lean on if his body decided to give on him.

"I can probably make it there on my own, but could you take me to Hotohori-sama, Kaen-san, no da?"

The amazon ignored the garish doctor as he trumpeted loudly his alcoholism, and turned her attentions on helping out the injured friend who she had put in such a state. Solemnly she nodded to his request for her support and looped his arm around her shoulder, leaning his weight on her hip as he stood up. They walked to the door in silence. Turning the handle, The Amazon and The Once-again-smiling Monk made their way slowly to the palace.

"They've disappeared." She broke the silence with her last bit of upsetting news as the two neared the entrance. "In the first blast of fire," her hand pushed open the door, "The blind one and... Keisuke."

The proud amazon was very aware that she had used the boy's name for the first time and even more sensitive to his absence as she did so. It was against her beliefs to honor even one man with a name, and here she was speaking two. Both had earned it. The flames either devoured the travelers beyond ash or they had returned to the world they came from. Either way left it the same. Keisuke was far beyond where she could go and she mourned the loss.

Her eyes took on the glossy far-away look of someone recalling something intimately their own, and through the sadness that once again surprised her as it welled inside her chest, a sweetly-saddened smile graced her lips. "He was running to protect his sister."

Chichiri's head swiveled toward her. So that's what happened to those two. Beyond how bad the seishi must have looked once she opened the doors, that explained a lot about what spurred Kaen's previous actions. He frowned and his mask shifted to create a tiny upside-down u for his mouth that make him look pensive.

"Once I speak with Hotohori-sama, I will be traveling to Mount Taikyoku to get some answers about what went on today, no da. I'm sure I'll find out what happened to our foreigners, no da. If you don't need to get back to Nyosei right away, you are welcome to come with me if you like, na no da."


	34. Chapter 33

_**Again....**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Later…

Tasuki jerked out of the guard's hold as soon as the cells came into view. He made no move to run, but he straightened his blood covered tunic and motioned for the guards to point to his cell. "I'm confident that I ain't gonna be killed, so I ain't got no reason to run. Ya don't gotta treat me like I can't walk neither."

"Just get in there, murderer-seishi," one guard sneered at Tasuki, but his mocking laughter was cut short when Tasuki flipped him a rather ungentlemanly guesture.

Guard number two grabbed Tasuki's outstretched finger and bent it backwards, using it as leverage to get the unruly redhead into his assigned cell.

The bars slammed shut behind him and he sighed. "Jerk! Ya could'a just asked me t'get in here!" He kicked the bars and sat down to grumble and rub his newly injured toes.

***

When she was alone again, Miaka made her way to the bath. The hall had been cleaned in preparation for her arrival. She felt a bit silly, especially since she was useless to them now. She failed to summon Suzaku and cost the lives of so many people.

In the bath she'd cried and cried. A tear for Tasuki who was locked up in a cell, possibly a criminal. A tear for the children who'd been mutilated by those demons. Another for her brother and Tetsuya, still missing. A whole flood of tears for Nuriko. The bathwater was red with blood by the time she'd finished scrubbing her skin clean and dressed herself in a clean robe for sleeping.

As she exited the bath, the wheels in her mind started to turn. Tasuki couldn't be responsible for the attack. She didn't have any proof, but some part of her knew it was true. She needed to see him.

Miaka snuck back to her room to grab some gum from the pocket of her school uniform, then made her way to where Tasuki would be being kept. The door to the cells were being blocked by two guards. "Hold it, Miss! You can't come in here."

"I need to speak with someone..."

"There's only one prisoner, lady, and he's being kept away from everyone. Get out of here."

She opened her hand and gave the men the gum. The soldier looked at her, curiously. "What's this?"

"It's called chewing gum. It's from the world I came from. This could be worth a lot of money, you know. A gift from the Suzaku no Miko..."

The guards exchanged a glance, then let her in.

"You don't have long. He's in the farthest cell."

Miaka nodded, and walked through the door. The heavy door slammed shut behind her, and she found herself in a dimly lit room. She walked down the long hallway past rows of empty cells, looking for Tasuki.

"Tasu-chan? Are you in here?"

Tasuki rolled to his feet, away from the cell wall at the sound of Miaka's voice. "Mi-chan? Mi-chan! What th' hell are ya doin' here? Yer gonna get in trouble," he announced as he grasped the bars and waved a hand out at her.

Miaka ran over to where he was, grabbing onto the bars. He hadn't even been allowed to bathe before getting tossed down here. Though he wasn't all that keen on the water anyway. She grabbed the bars and looked at him. "I bribed the guards, don't worry. I needed to see if you were okay."

Tasuki shook his head and grabbed her hands. "Last place I want ya to see me is in jail. Ya know I didn't do it, right? There's no way in hell I'd ever wanna hurt nobody. 'Specially not with no demons."

He pulled her closer to the bars and smiled as he got a noseful of her hair. "Ya got a bath, at least. More'n what I got. Sorry, I gotta look like some kinda monster all covered in blood like this."

"I don't think you did it, but those things called you Master..." She leaned into an awkward embrace through the bars. "I wish you'd had a chance to clean up. You smell!" She laughed then felt immediately guilty. It wasn't fair that she had any happiness when so many of the others were suffering.

Tasuki sighed. "I got no idea why they did that, an' I don't stink that damn bad!" He pulled back and raised his arm to sniff. "I stand corrected. Goddamn, maybe you c'n get Hotohori to let'em gimme a bath? I'd hate t'stink like this fer too damn long."

He pulled her back in to the uncomfortable hug and sighed. "Seems like I always mess it up, ne, Mi-chan?"

"If you say it wasn't you, I believe you." She leaned her head against his chest through one of the spaces between the bars and hugged him back. "Tasu-chan... you said that I was yours before the fight got bad. Did you mean it?"

Tasuki smirked and kissed her forehead. "Damn straight. I decided I needed t'tell ya I love ya, if I ain't messed it up already by gettin' accused of murder."

He combed his fingers through her hair, glad that there was a small wet cloth that he'd ben able to wipe his hands on. "I want ya to know, if I do get executed, that on the mountain, in a small box under where my bed used t'be is a gold locket with a saphire in it. I want you to get it an' keep it to remember me by."

"Don't talk like that!" She hugged him closer. "You aren't going to die, Hotohori wouldn't let that happen. You didn't do anything wrong!" She found new tears welling up in her eyes, just when she thought she'd cried her last. "I couldn't forget you, anyhow. That smell will stay with me forever."

Tasuki sighed, "I don't stink that bad, Mi-chan. You'll forget one day," he smirked and ruffled her hair. "I know I didn't do nothin' wrong, but I got no proof. Proof is all that is gonna keep me alive. And so far, it looks like there's more proof that I did it than there is that I didn't."

He lifted her chin, "But you need to go on t'bed. I know you're tired and you need sleep." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then felt compelled to slide his lips lower and claim hers in a sweet kiss.

Miaka leaned into the kiss, heart racing (in a good way, for a change). She didn't want to leave him in the terrible conditions of the cell but didn't have a choice. The guards would want her out of here soon enough. When she finally pulled away she had fresh determination. "I'm going to figure out a way to prove it wasn't you! You'll see. There must be some way to fix this..." She grinned and gave him another quick peck. "Then you and Tamahome will be friends again and we can go back to the Mountain." She turned to go but then paused and turned back to him. "I love you too." She left the cells quickly and nodded her thanks to the guards, retreating to her room.

Tasuki's eyes widened as he watched her whirl out of the room. "Heh, yeah. Friends," he muttered, staring out into the long shadows of the cell block.

Inside Miboshi

Suspended in liquid fire, the sorceress Seiryuu seishi slept. Imprisoned within bars of ever-renewing blue lightning, the phoenix god cried his dismay to the unhearing heavens. Her eyes fluttered open, and Suzaku swallowed the last of his screams. Irate red eyes stared down the woman who dared try to capture a god. She seemed not to notice.

She rose to her feet and approached, hips swaying, eyes glittering. His long neck slipped through the bars and his massive beak clapped shut just inches from her. In response, she smirked, and a snap of her fingers caused the bars to wring his scrawny neck. His raucous shrieking filled the sub-space they both currently occupied. When it subsided, he shrunk back behind the bars.

"You're mine now," she stated.

"I'm no one's," the god returned.

"But you are." Miboshi raised her arms to indicate the lack of substance that surrounded them. "You're trapped here, and you have no way of escaping unless I let you out."

"You underestimate the power of a god, woman."

"And you underestimate the power of a woman, god."

The god of the south said nothing in response to this, and so, with a smirk, Miboshi went on.

"I have a proposal. You give me what I want, and I set you free. Think of it as trading Suzaku no Miko for someone else."

"Even if you were from the creator's world, you are not one of my chosen. You are one of _his_," Suzaku's tone was, quite literally, on fire.

"I don't care what you tell yourself to make yourself feel better, but you are my prisoner now, and you will do as I say."

"You'll die before I grant you anything," Suzaku replied, smugly.

"You think so? You think you're the only immortal here?"

She tilted her head to regard him. His ruby-eyes narrowed.

"You are not immortal. You are only a thief."

"Oh but I am immortal, bird-god. I've lived for countless generations. Just because I don't inhabit my original body, doesn't mean I can't continue to live on, endlessly."

"Whether you think you are immortal or not is no concern of mine."

"But it is, because you see... you will be the one who will die if my wishes aren't granted."

Bell-like laughter, a musical ringing, issued from Suzaku's throat.

"You do not listen well. I am a god. I cannot be killed."

"And you do not listen well. You are my prisoner. You _will_ grant my wishes."

There was a flash of blinding light within the cage, and Suzaku's tormented cries soared through his cage, outward into the abyss of mental space. It ceased, and he flopped over, drained of his store of energy. Nearly imperceptibly, Suzaku diminished. His eyes stared up at her from the floor.

She stared down at him coldly.

"You will grant my wish, or I will drain and disperse your energy until you are nothing but a whisper."

Suzaku laid silent.

"I will tell you my wishes when the time is right, and at that time, you will grant them immediately."

The thought-form of the ice-dragon's chosen vanished, leaving the fire-god to mourn his clipped wings.

Underneath the cover of darkness, into the shade of the forest, the beastman carried his mistress. It wasn't until she began to stir that he set her down. He took the utmost care in handling her body, and once she was safely propped up against a tree trunk, his form whirled away in the wind, revealing a crow standing on the pine-nettled dirt. He ruffled his feathers then toddled up to Miboshi. A hop onto her thigh, then a hop onto her arm, then her shoulder, and he remained still, his thin black beak near her ear.

"Kotenbo..." she murmured.

The bird gave no reply save a twitching of his head.

Shortly thereafter, the other half of the tengu-pair set down on a branch. Kotenbo met his eye, and Saburo leapt into the air, spread his wings, and descended onto Miboshi's shoulder.

_Children are dead. The blue-hair tried to kill the red-hair. Not dead yet. Going to jail. And..._

Miboshi listened in silence, barely able to move even her head.

_Purple-hair died. Monk may be dead. All others are unimportant._

Good, everything had proceeded as planned, with an added bit of good fortune.

Now it was only a matter of waiting for Sou to pick up their trail, and prove whether he was worthy of remaining by her side, or if he would end up in the trash heap with the rest of his kind.

The beasts didn't waste time trying to cover their trail. It would have been blatantly obvious even to the most uneducated ranger.

_Even to one of the idiot Suzaku Seishi_ Tamahome found himself sneering as he ran.

He followed the broken tree branches and the clawed foot prints as they had crashed through Konan's surrounding woods. His heart raced with fear and hope all at once. It seemed that his mind was telling him two different, both definite things at once at it was making his head spin. As he ran, he would clutch his head and shake the thoughts of one or the other voice away. He was getting tired, physically and mentally; his muscles weak from the departing adrenaline and drained from the weeping, when he saw figures moving up ahead.

Tamahome threw all his remaining energy into a bursting sprint towards the figures. That was her. He knew it.

Panting and exhausted, Tamahome came to the clearing at last. A man with a bow slung over his back and a hunting knife stood over his beautiful princess. In reality, he was tending her wounds, carefully lifting her head and dabbing water to her delicate forehead. What Tamahome saw was a threat.

Letting out a loud roar, he burst from the clearing and slid to her side.

"Get AWAY from her!" he snapped, growling at the man with teeth bared and practically foaming at the mouth.

Then, with contradictory gentleness, he gathered his love his arms and brushed back her hair. His eyes frantically searched her face.

"Ji!" He pulled her in tightly, "Oh thank the gods you're alive."

He kissed her cheek, her forehead, her temple and her eyes. He thought, somewhere in the back of his mind, someplace small now, that his silent plea to Suzaku had been answered, but the larger part of him didn't want to believe in any god any more. What sick being thought it was funny to torment his followers, his chosen?

"Sou..." Ji uttered his name, trembling in his arms. That much was real, her body was still not taking the introduction of foreign hostile energy very well.

At Tamahome's insistence, the hunter backed off and sheathed his bloody knife. He looked over the stranger and cocked an eyebrow.

"Is everything okay, miss?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you for saving me from those... things. But I'll be safe with Sou, now..." she said into Sou's shoulder.

The hunter nodded and got to his feet.

"I'll be on my way then."

Once he was out of sight, she pulled away from her so-called lover, and when she got a look at his face, her eyes went wide with fear. He looked strangely exotic in that moment, covered in blood by the light of the moon.

"Oh no. What happened to you? Is everything all right?"

His hands lifted to his face. Flakes of black fell from under his fingers. He cast his eyes to the ground. "Something - terrible - happened at the palace after you fainted. I can't - not yet, it's still... too close." He could barely mention the incident without the tears threatening to take over again. "But, don't trouble your mind with that. You need rest. I'll get you back to the palace and... I guess I should wash off."

Tamahome believed his words and didn't at the same time. The palace was a terrifying place, filled with accusation and memories, and the blood was a reminder. He knew that he would never wash it off whether he tried to or not, that he would carry it with him until the day his body finally gave out on him.

"No!" she cried, and then, more quietly, "Not the palace. I don't want to go back there, not yet. I… I'm so sorry about the summoning. I didn't know that would happen just because I was there. I knew I was… chosen by Seiryuu, but I…"

She looked into his eyes, searching, pleading.

"Father told me to keep it a secret. That if anyone ever found out they'd probably try to kill me. When you told me you were a chosen of Suzaku, I thought that it might not be possible for us to be together if you knew. And I thought…"

She pressed her face into his shoulder and wept.

"It's all my fault, isn't it? Everything is my fault. I'm so sorry…"

Tamahome shook his head, "No, Ji. No. This isn't your fault at all." He brushed back her hair and kissed her head. "How were you supposed to know what would happen?"

His features grew hard and a snarl tugged at his lips. "I know exactly why you hid, Ji. The moment they found out, the moment they suspected who you were, those bastards could only blame you." He pulled her away to look into her eyes; his own were dark and heated. "You were hurt and all those useless Suzaku Seishi could do was blame you for their failed summoning."

Those words coming from his mouth were certainly impressive. Much more so than anything else he'd ever said. It didn't take much to break the fragile loyalties of the Suzaku seishi, did it? To break the illusion of friendship and brotherhood. She was certain her internal smirk reached the god himself.

"I don't blame them. I ruined everything for them, and for you…"

Her gaze skittered off to the side, and then a sudden gasp brought her eyes back to his.

"What if—What if those things that attacked the palace are my fault too?"

She clutched his sleeve tightly.

"When I came to, one of them was carrying me, and I screamed. It said that I shouldn't scream. That I was lucky. That the others were already dead, but it had orders not to kill me. That it was supposed to take me out here and that 'master' would deal with me after that. I thought I'd be dead by now. Sou… what if I'm all they wanted and everyone else just got hurt because of me?"

Her lower lip trembled as she looked up at him with big, round, horrified amber eyes.

Tamahome's fingers tightened around her delicate arms, and his body began to shake with anger.

"Those monsters," he paused to get the growl out of his voice, for her sake, "Those monsters were summoned by Tasuki. He killed my babies and intended to..." He stopped, not able to finish the thought of what terrible thing the filthy bandit had intended to do to his love.

"Don't worry, Ji. 'Master' won't be coming to do anything to you." The previously controlled snarl rolled in his tone, spitting out Tasuki's new title like a bad taste.

Ever more visceral and uncontrolled his responses became, and as they did, Miboshi could feel the satisfaction settling over her. The little irritants were 'taken care of', the King of Annoyances was absolutely despised by the one he 'loved', and Tamahome, Suzaku's prized warrior, was _hers_.

"They… they did what? Oh, Sou," she called his name softly, and reached a hesitant hand up to brush his sticky hair off his forehead. "No, please, tell me this isn't true. Not little Yuiren-chan and Chuei-kun, anything but that…"

The mention of their names sent a fresh chill through his spine. He shook his head and covered her slender fingers with his own blood-covered hands, pulling her hand to his mouth and giving it a kiss. Tamahome gave a painful nod.

"When I found them, they had already been… They were already gone," he explained.

There was something terribly amusing in the fact that Sou's hands, covered in the blood of his siblings, were now caressing those of their murderer. A beautiful knot in the twisting of fate, of her own creation, sent him running straight into her arms. It was harder now than ever to keep a straight face, to choose just the right expression, and so she turned away from him until she could summon the tears. Once they were flowing, she turned back.

"Those poor little ones. I can't believe he'd do this to them. I know he's always hated me, but they never did anything to him. I… I shouldn't be talking about this." She reached out and cupped the back of his head in her hand, drawing his face toward her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, my darling."

Tamahome shook his head again, grabbing tightly around her slight waist. The embrace felt wonderful, like cool water over fevered eyes. He knew Tasuki had to pay, but her warmth hushed the ache in his heart. Then, suddenly he remembered something from what seemed years ago, buried behind gallons of blood.

"Ji-hime," he started, with a short humorless laugh at the irony of the situation. "This morning, I was going to ask…"

Tamahome pulled back and tried his best for a smile. It came out flat. Oh well.

He took her hand in his and pressed his lips to her warm skin. "Will you be my wife?"

It was the last thread of his happiness, and he held on to it with hope as he gazed anxiously into her eyes.

Ji put her free hand to her lips. This was the moment all girls dreamed of since they were old enough to realize that they had a specific role as female human spawn, wasn't it? True, most of them weren't dreaming of being asked by a dazed, crazed, blood-spattered farm-boy, but it wasn't as if Miboshi particularly cared about things like marriage, family, or domestic life. It also wasn't very hard to see this coming.

Sou was rustically charming. A naïve, kind, family-man with a protector-complex the size of Konan. He was handsome, this much was true, but none of this mattered to her either.

Still, there was a spark in his eye that she sometimes caught sight of. Untapped potential that she could give rise to and shape with her own hands. The promise of marriage had been calculated into her plans, and so, she answered with tears in her eyes and a blush, "Yes, I will. I will marry you."

She threw her arms around his neck, with any luck, he'd take that opportunity to pick her up and get them to somewhere more accommodating.

He knew it was wrong for him to feel so, but his heart truly lifted for the first time that day. Tamahome asked the forgiveness of his siblings and took the moment to smile and just hold his fiancée. It was during this moment of clarity that he realized the horrific sight he must be. He pulled away as to not offend her further with the disgusting grime he was covered in and, with an awkward laugh and a gesture lifted to his hair, he suggested a plan.

"We'll need somewhere to stay. I don't want to be anywhere near this spot come nightfall, and I… think I need to clean off. Can you walk?"

Of course she might be able to walk, but why should she have to?

"I… I don't know."

He nodded and lifted her up into his arms. She would have to forgive the gore for a few more miles.

It was luck that brought them by an inn so quickly. Tamahome was actually a little nervous to stop, thinking that surely the chosen of Suzaku would form a search party to hunt down their prematurely proclaimed enemy and place her in the jail cell next to that monster. Never! He wouldn't have it. After what he intended to do to her? What sick demented thoughts he would have. _Ruin him,_ a voice demanded from the dark recesses of his mind. Silently, Tamahome closed his mind against the fear, just for this night, just while he could still enjoy the simple happiness of his love accepting his proposal. They went in and Tamahome approached the counter.

At first, he was confused as to the gasps of horror from the patrons, but then he quickly remembered the state he was in.

"Please you have to help me." He thought quickly. "My wife and I were attacked in the woods and we barely made it out."

Thank whatever power ran the universe that the people all believed him. They rushed to his side. Some ran to the door and barred it. The inn keeper insisted the room for the night was on the house and led them both to the baths. It was nice to get clean, but a part of him was still mourning the loss. It was as if the memory of his children faded as the water became clear. He watched with tears stuck in his eyes as a part of him washed down the drain to be forever lost.

Wisps of rose and jasmine smoke spiraled lazily through the room Ji and Sou shared. It curled around her face and settled in her hair. When he opened the door, Ji made sure she was positioned upon the bed with one leg hanging over the edge, staring out the window. Her nearly sheer white night gown, the one she'd chosen from the garments she'd been offered, practically glowed in the moonlight.

Tamahome returned to their room sullen and somber, but put together again. If one didn't look in his eyes, they wouldn't imagine the fury and the overwhelming sadness that battled in his head. His eyes were glued to the floor until the scent hit him. It was like stepping into a blossoming garden, so unlike his inner landscape. He looked up, confused, to the bed. The vision waiting for him was stunning, and he was left speechless. Tamahome averted his eyes to the floor again, embarrassed that he had walked in on her in a state of undress without knocking. A deep red stained his cheeks.

"I'm- I'm sorry Ji, I'll wait outside while you finish."

Finish what? Looking out the window? So many voices, new and strange had invaded his head since this morning. Most were guilt driven: the screaming voices of his kids as they accused him of not loving them, the weakening voice of his mother asking him to look after her precious children, others were fierce, angry and dark. Those scared him when they took first row in the chorus - scared him because he agreed with almost everything they said- but this one was almost hungry in its urgent demand.

_Go to her,_ the voice demanded.

He couldn't deny he wanted to. The image of her pure skin winking playfully at him from under the soft folds of the sheer fabric refused to leave even as he shut his eyes.

Ji drew the covers up over herself, as if she were ashamed of her immodesty.

"No, that's all right. I was just… thinking a little, before bed."

She looked over at him from across the room, amber eyes gleaming in the candlelight.

"Sou… would you sleep with me, tonight? After all that happened, I'm feeling frightened, and I know that if you were next to me, I wouldn't feel so scared and… alone."

Tamahome had to blink away the previous meaning his mind assigned to that statement, but for a second or two, he was speechless and stumbling over his next words. He nodded instead, hoping he wouldn't make himself out to be a lecherous fool.

"I would like… I mean, I wouldn't mind, Ji."

Truth was, Tamahome was in dire need of some warm comfort tonight as well. He was afraid of what nightmares waited for him on the other side of sleep. All the better that it would be in the arms of his beautiful fiancée.

Like a blushing bride, he made his way into bed next to her, and once he laid himself down, she lowered her head to the pillow as well. Resting on her side, she draped an arm over his chest and squeezed him lightly.

"Thank you," she breathed.

The incense she'd carefully selected and his close physical proximity were causing her body to react as well, and the heat that generated between the two of them colored her cheeks. She nuzzled her face into his shoulder, and as she did so, she ever so slightly slipped her smooth, bare leg up over his.

Tamahome's heart was racing. She was so (gulp) very close to him, and there was something about the air. It made him delightfully dizzy and compliant. There was a fire igniting deep in his belly that flared when he felt one smooth leg lift over his. His hand almost instinctually smoothed over the skin. He wanted to touch her, and his body was beginning to respond in a not so subtle way to her vicinity. He was using all of his remaining will to _not_ follow the instructions his hips were giving him when she asked him a simple question.

"Is it wrong that I feel so happy?" she whispered into his ear.

He suddenly realized, no it wasn't. She was going to be his bride, they were attracted to each other and both of them needed to be close to the other tonight. Tamahome wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, shaking his head.

"No Ji, you're all that's left that makes me happy. I love you." He placed a kiss on her head, and then tilted her chin up to reach her mouth. "I want to be with you tonight. Will you let me… make love to you?"

He asked. He actually asked her permission. Had she not been so caught up, she might have thought to laugh, but with his body pressed against hers, and his lips so close to her own as he spoke, her own physical desire arose. Though it had been so many years, the heated rush throughout was powerful and familiar. All that meant was that this, unlike most of the other things she'd been forced to do to further her plans, would not necessarily be an unpleasant experience.

"I want to be with you tonight, too," she said, as she let her lips descend upon his.

She shifted next to him, shrugging the sleeves of her nightgown down. She held his kiss, and let her hand drift down to loosen the loops that held his shirt closed. When she reached the very last one, she brought her hand back up to his collarbone and drew her finger down his bare chest.

Once she had said the words, he let go of everything and let his world zero in to her. His fingers glided over her bare shoulders, as his mouth pressed hers for more. He slid his tongue over the seam of her lips and parted them, dipping in and tasting the heat of her mouth. The little action drove his pulse up and left him wanting more.

A soft moan escaped his lips as he gave in to the hungry voice that demanded and moved his hand up the curve of her thigh, shifting her leg over his hips so they fit more completely into hers. Tamahome lifted onto his elbow and gathered her in his arms as he trailed a line of kisses down her chin to the tight pink flesh of her nipples, pausing at her collar bone to nudge the airy fabric aside, exposing the stunning peaks of snowy white breasts.

His tongue flicking against the soft pink flesh of her nipples sent bolts of pleasure racing down through her stomach. A gasp slid out of her mouth as she let herself sink into the sensation. Ji closed her eyes, and her lips twitched lightly in response. She slipped her own hands down his firm sides, until they came to rest on the tie that held his pants up. It fell away easily underneath her slender fingers. There was a sound of fabric against fabric as she pulled it loose entirely, and then let it drift down to the bed.

Tamahome agreeably cast aside the bit of cloth that was in their way. The skin of her thighs brushed against his hips and electricity jolted through him. His breath hitched and his heart felt like it stopped. He needed her, now. Licking his way down her stomach, dipping in the sensual cleft of her belly button, he pulled at the silky fabric that covered the one place he wanted to be. The scent of her arousal filled his head, and he felt driven mad with desire. A groan sounded from deep in the back of his throat. White silk panties slipped off, over the creamy skin of her legs, and he tossed it down to join the pile. He only paused in his task to make way for the fabric, and then greedily dove back down to be next to her skin again, kissing the graceful curve of her hip bone and where her legs joined her body.

Arching her up to his lips with the hand that caressed her lower back, he kissed her bare belly before shifting back up to her mouth. A hand dipped down to the soft mound between her legs and fingers found the wet heat of her desire. He was amazed at the amount of fragrant slick stuff that coated his fingers as he tested her. He was no expert on the matter, but his body moved on its own, and the feel of her ran straight to his groin. If he didn't have her now, he was going to be pushed off the precipice of sanity. Pressing the head of his erection tentatively to her welcoming opening, he looked up into her eyes. He held her gaze with seductive eyes and plunged inside.

"Ji." Her name dripped from his lips colored in a lust it had never been spoken with before.

His desire for her was pouring off his sun-bronzed skin. This was a taste of the depths of the well of passion he contained that she chose him for. She matched the hunger in his eyes, allowing him entry. There was a stabbing sensation and a circle of fire within as he slipped inside of her, but she held back the wince that would ordinarily accompany the pain. She would not let him stop now.

Trails of incense bumped lightly into his back and changed course to dissipate above them. Though he began gently, he filled her completely, and from the very first penetration, the magic within her awoke. Tendrils of her soul, her essence, yawned awake, followed by a steady stream of subtle energy from the god that lay dormant within her. Miboshi, for her part, did not notice this second bit of chi, as Tamahome dove more deeply inside of her. His ever more vigorous thrusting stirred and charged the magic flowing between them with potent raw sexual energy.

Flickering red and blue mingled, as his passions climbed and he worked ever harder at satisfying both the hunger that roared deep within him and his magnificent lover. Moans escaped his lips when they weren't closed over Ji's, and he could feel a rising heat, not just from her body, but from all around him. His breathing was rapid, and he surprised himself with the urgent quickening of his body. He had intended, fully intended, to savor everything; to make their joining a beautiful union, but lust took over almost fully and the naive boy had caved, bowed to its overwhelming power. Now, their energies mingled as he thrust deep inside of her heat. She wrapped around him, and he was happy giving everything to her.

Her name slipped from his lips in subtle moans at first, soft as prayers, but now they had escalated to cries. In those calls to his goddess, he found something breathtaking; for the first time since opening the door to his nightmare the voices had stopped. There was no whispering in his head and the silence was blessed. She had stopped them; being inside of her, touching her, and kissing her, had stopped them. A piece of him never wanted it to stop in fear of them returning, but a deeper, a base, need demanded he fill her with everything.

The sensation was nearly too much. Tightening streams of electric elation rushed to the hard organ he wielded inside of her. The heady aroma was pulling in him over the ledge that was his grip on reality. The incense made wild circles around his head.

His rhythmic pushing ignited the sparks within her, burning and explosive. His muscles hardened as he neared completion, and he gripped her body as if he could force all of himself, all of who he was, into her. For her part, Miboshi was more than happy to devour him, to own him, not just for the moment, but for the rest of his life. Momentum carried him ever further into the moist, dark cave, and she would make certain that he'd never find his way out again.

There was an overwhelming wave of fire that rushed through him and concentrated until he felt like he would die. His hands clenched on her skin and in tangled sheets. His back arched and his head tossed back in one final thrust, in one howling moan of his lover's name.

Her fingernails scratched into his bare back and drew crisscross patterns of red. His seed released in astonishing liquid heat, spent inside of her. At that moment, magic laced with the chi of the dragon and the phoenix shot into him to form a sacred soul-bond. Theirs was an unspoken covenant declared official by both demons and gods. Ji clenched around him, and the gushing full-body excitement of the exchange made her eyes squeeze shut. She flung her hands out and grasped the sheets beneath her as her back likewise arched upward. Her teeth came down sharply, drawing a bead of blood onto her lip.

Their voices raised in unison to form the final note of their tryst. Tamahome was left panting, and the thundering thrusts slowed, like residual ripples from a violent storm. Moisture clung to their bodies as they embraced one another in the slow decrescendo that followed. The tingling of energy swirled within her and danced atop her skin. Miboshi laid underneath him, naked and limp, and slowly she opened her eyes to look up at him.

"Sou…" she sighed.

Sou. Something felt right about that name. It divorced him from everything. It separated him from the horror of the past twelve hours, the failed summoning, and most importantly, his thieving bird-god who branded him at birth with a symbol that first ostracized him then ended with one final sadistic stab at his soul.

His mouth cupped hers, and he drank from the chalice of her lips. Sharp metal tinted the taste of her mouth and surged through him with a whiplash energy. Somewhere inside his mind a heavy iron door slammed shut on a dark room with a single, frightened and miserable, occupant. There was a sound of seven thick locks sliding along rusty metal, and Tamahome was shut away with his regrets in the shadow.

His head came to rest on her chest, and she slipped a hand into his hair. Almost involuntarily, her eyes closed, and she started to drift lightly between consciousness and sleep. Sou fell asleep easily, but she willed herself awake for just a moment more. Long enough to draw her fingers to her mouth. Just long enough to taste the stream of his blood that flowed down the back of her hand before falling prey to the euphoric exhaustion.


	35. Chapter 34

_**Again...**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Eiyou Palace; Evening…

Nakago had made his self useful in ordering soldiers about for the cleanup. He took pride in being able to order around the soldiers of his enemy. When the cleaning at last seemed to be under control he made his way to the Emperor's office to announce his departure.

"Clearly this is a very difficult time for your people and forcing a contract right now is not in our best interest. I'll convince the Emperor of Kutou to allow for more time, with no hard feelings. I was witness to the carnage and a mourning period would be appropriate."

Saihitei agreed, wishing him a safe journey home and good fortune. Nakago bowed deeply before making his exit and heading for the horses his own men had prepared. They would journey both night and day, allowing for a much more speedy arrival back in Kutou. Their priestess needed to return and be taught their summoning ritual. Only 2 of their Seishi remained out of his reach and they were both here within the Konan Palace walls.

Good hearted or no, these unclaimed warriors could not ignore the pull in their chest towards Kutou forever. This is what it meant to be Seiryuu: a pull towards the time and place of summoning was unavoidable and it was drawing nearer. Surely the Amazon woman he spotted and the other woman (though he doubted that person really was a woman and was actually more like an 'it') would both feel the need to head his direction soon enough. He would make sure of it.

Seated upon his horse he waited for Tomo's arrival so that proper instructions could be given to his most faithful servant.

Out of the shadow of a wide oak tree, Tomo's figure melted into view. Silently, he fell in stride next to his master.

"Your orders?" he asked after they had gone a few feet from the palace gates.

"I have two missions for you. They are of an importance I can only leave in your hands." He smiled and nodded to his greatest ally. "First, the Amazon warrior woman... she carries the chi of a Seiryuu Seishi. We must find a way to convince her to join us in Kutou to attempt our summoning. The second mission is to visit the woman called Ji-hime and advise her to do the same. She is a woman… but she isn't. No, she's more of a being. If what I sensed today is correct, she may have absorbed some Suzaku chi; if this goes on unchecked she will die."

He nodded to his 'friend' as their horses began to make their way away from the Konan palace. "Be as the shadows. Let no one know you remained here for me. We are trying to avoid a war until Konan is completely broken. Their summoning may have failed but they can still recover."

He dug his heels into the horse to spur him forward and galloped away. He trusted Tomo to achieve what he requested of him. As of yet, Tomo hadn't let the Shogun down.

Nakago's hair whipped angrily as he sped through the night. The timing had to be right, and there was no greater chance of conquering Konan than now. As the Suzaku celestials mourned the loss of one of their own and the palace was left in ruins created by demons, a surprise attack would be perfect. He had no doubt in his mind that the Emperor of Konan, however young and foolish, would know of Nakago's plans for attack, but there would be nothing Konan could do about it. Taking over Konan should be easy, and Nakago was confident that he did not even need to lead the army for the advance.

Yes, there were other more important matters to attend to. Tomo would go search out the remaining two Seiryuu celestials and the summoning ceremony would take place as soon as possible. He just needed to get his Priestess back...

A plan formed in his mind as he neared the capital.

The Palace Bathhouse

_Editor's note: This scene has been altered from its original version. Through much trying and failed attempts, life happens and it has become impossible for all the key writers of this story to complete it as intended. Where does that leave us? With me making some key changes _

_The original version of this scene involved an extremely well written, intense, yaoi rape of Tasuki by Tamahome. The scene occurred at a stage of the story where I had only just taken over as Miaka in the RPG and it was a story in motion already. Personally, I'm not much of a yaoi fan (with a few exceptions…) and for the sake of my editing and for the remainder of the story that I will eventually have to pen by myself, I am altering the story significantly in this respect._

_Please understand that this was not done as an insult to the original authors but as a way of editing the story to make it easier for me to (hopefully) one day finish the story we tried to tell by RPG but were unable to complete._

The sound of boots echoed down the hallway. The halls were dark. Most of the servants and guests had long gone to sleep. There were guards posted at nearly every door, but that was the only inkling left that the massacre of that morning had occurred at all. Under the cover of the near darkness, Sou strode past the Emperor's meeting hall, there were voices murmuring behind the closed doors and it seemed to be the only room whose lamp was still burning brightly at this hour.

Sou continued through the heavily guarded passageways. He was slightly amused by how easily he could slip through at such high alert, but being back here seemed to amplify the screaming in his head. It was a steadily droning accusation laced with guilt and remorse that had conquered Tamahome. It left him an empty shell with a soul that had escaped in favor of fantasies and dreams, but 'Sou' was stronger than him, stronger by far.

He needed horses and he was about to step up to the heavy ironwood door of the stables when he heard a group of guards shout to someone. Their tone was rough and belittling and last he knew there were no other prisoners being held. Tamahome was no dumb kid, and Sou put two and two together.

While he was back at the scene of the crime, why not pay his little murderer friend a kind visit?

From on top of the roof tiles black eyes watched. A feathered head cocked and twisted to keep its target in sight.

Tasuki grumbled as the large group of guards that had dragged him from the jail cell tossed him into the bathhouse with the command to 'Wash your stinking hide.' His shoulder ached from his collision with the concrete and tiled floor of the bathhouse. It wouldn't have been so bad, but the guards thought it was a good idea to leave his hands tied in front of him and let him figure out how to get his clothes off on his own.

He growled as he clumsily untied his pants and let them drop to the floor, the boots had been taken from him before he'd left his cell. His shirt was the problem, aside from having his hands bound, so he pitched a fit and tore it apart, the tatters hanging at his wrists under the ropes that bound his hands. He glared at the blood splattered white pieces of shirt that littered the floor and almost allowed himself a snicker. _'I'll have plenty of rags to wash with,'_ he thought ruefully, as he snatched one up with a cake of soap that had been left for his use.

He scrubbed furiously at his skin, scraping off the splatters of blood; Nuriko's, the maids he'd been too late to save, and the blood that had transferred from Tamahome's hands and clothes to his own.

He washed and scrubbed at his skin until it was an angry pink then rinsed off in the small bucket of cold water that was left for him. Getting awkwardly to his feet, Tasuki stepped into the bath and sat on a small ledge for just that purpose. He dropped his head back on his neck and closed his eyes, sighing in defeat. He was going to hang for a crime he didn't commit; well, he didn't _think_ he'd committed it anyway...

Was it the voices that made Sou follow? The treacherous things never stopped and he was sure they would drive him insane ('_Have they not already?_' he wondered) but he followed with a lurking sneer on his lips until he was standing at the bathhouse doors. He placed his hands on the wooden frame and pushed them open.

Tasuki heard the doors open again and slipped off of the ledge and sat at the bottom of the bath, wanting to be left alone in his misery. He couldn't listen to those bastard guards poke at him about his coming death. They took it too far when they mocked what he would look like while he hung. They'd teased him saying that he'd probably cry for his mother in his last moments and loudly speculated over if he would piss himself when they kicked the lever to stretch his neck.

He wanted to block it all out and found a small piece of relief under the water, almost wishing he had the strength and courage to stay there until he drowned. Tasuki climbed back up to the ledge and sat, still battling back and forth over if he had really caused the misery that kept following him, if he was really a murderer or not. He waited for the snide comments and disdainful remarks to come, they always did.

Sou let the door slide shut again on the quiet guards. He didn't speak, just folded his arms across his chest and walked around the tub, eyeing Tasuki with a dark smirk. "Genrou," he cooed, acknowledging him as he came around to the edge where the bandit leaned.

He was dressed in what looked like silk; a loose shirt and fine pants. Something the kind people at the inn had lent him out of mercy. Cold, dark, green eyes refused to budge from their fixed stare. They narrowed in a cruel smile as he circled Tasuki like a shark stalking his prey, looking down from the raised ledge of the tiled floor. "They're letting you clean up?" he asked, finally stopping behind Tasuki, his arms folded.

Tasuki flinched at his voice and slowly turned a haunted glare up to Tamahome. "Yeah. You come to finish what you started earlier?" he asked, gesturing awkwardly to his neck and the ring of hand shaped bruises that adorned it. "If ya had only held on a few more minutes, I'd be outta this mess. Thanks fer th' 'present'."

He turned his back to Tamahome again, staring at his reflection in the water. "They're gonna hang me tomorrow, anyway." He spoke softly, almost wonderingly. Tasuki chuckled at his pathetic reflection, then turned his head to look at Tamahome again. "Guess they figured ya had a good idea an' wanted t'finish the job."

Sou stared at Tasuki, hearing his words but no longer really registering them. He smiled down to the water, kneeling over the ledge and trailing his hands over the ripples on the surface. He really had wished he would get to be the one to finish the job. Why his hands had gone weak was an annoying and irritating question. It made him question if Tamahome was as gone from his body as he intended. No, Tamahome was gone and Tasuki would be gone tomorrow. He could die weeping and pathetic in front of a hundred faceless people all hating him and that was better than anything he could think up to do to him. Well, _almost_ better.

"Does it look like I'm here to finish you off?" he asked the water, scooping up a handful and watching it spill between his fingers. "I'm just here to say good bye."

Tasuki snorted. "Fine. Ya said good bye. See ya next life time." Waving a hand in annoyed dismissal, Tasuki scooted away from Tamahome and fixed his gaze on the small slit of night sky that peeked in through the small steam vents in the ceiling.

A single crow perched on the vent and gazed down on them.

He stared at that small sliver of inky black and said a silent good bye. It was the last night's sky he'd ever see. How ridiculous was that? He was going to miss seeing the end of a day and the thousands of small pinpricks of light that adorned lady nightfall's evening dress. He wished Miaka could be with him to share one last starry sky before he left her.

Would he miss baths too? Would being dead hurt? Would it be a release? He wasn't sure. "Tamahome, you think that bein' dead will hurt?"

Sou twisted a look of horrific confusion over to Tasuki, but not at what he had said. Something idiotic inside of _him_ felt bad -BAD- for the bandit. He closed his eyes and stood up, pushing the guilty feeling aside. Sou gave a short, resentful laugh. "I'm sure it doesn't hurt as much as the dying, but you'll know soon enough."

The hurt expression on Tasuki's face made Sou feel stable again.

"Are you afraid?"

He hoped the answer was yes. Tasuki had every reason to be afraid and he wanted him to feel it thoroughly.

Tasuki shifted again, trying to make sure Tamahome didn't try to drown him in the water if he had a sudden change of heart. "I'm… kinda curious. I ain't afraid of pain or bein' hurt, I guess I just don't wanna give up life just yet. Ya know? I'm only seventeen."

It was sad really, he was barely a man and yet he was going to die. He had hardly lived yet. "So, ya said good bye. What else do ya want?" he asked, curious as to why Tamahome was still there.

"Why? Am I making you nervous?" A hint of a smirk that seemed ever persistent ghosted Sou's lips.

He touched the other man's shoulder with his fingertips, walking his index finger up Tasuki's neck and flicking his ear.

Tasuki raised a brow. "No, not nervous. Just- Hey!" He pushed Sou's hand away with his bound wrists. "What th' hell are ya touchin' me for?"

Sou smirked. His eyes burned into Tasuki's. "Perhaps I should give you a kiss goodbye. You've wanted me for so long now, and it must have hurt to see me off with someone else, didn't it?" He whispered the last bit directly into Tasuki's ear, licking a water droplet from his enemy's neck.

Tasuki flinched back, foot slipping on the ledge as he scrambled to get away. "Now wait a damn minute! I blurted out somethin' I wasn't completely sure of, but ya said no. Leave it at that. 'Sides, I love Mi-chan. I jus' didn't think I had a chance wit' her at the time an' I was confused an'…" He struggled with the words to explain his little outburst and his confused feelings.

Fully dressed, Sou slipped entirely into the bath. He advanced towards his frightened prey and placed a hand on Tasuki's chin. "You love Miaka, the Priestess?" He pulled Tasuki's face close to his own, speaking a feather's distance from the other's lips. "You want to be inside of her." He chose words that he knew would make Tasuki writhe.

"It… it ain't like that! I jus'…"

A devilish smirk curved Sou's lips. He knew now how he could provide Tasuki with the pain he hoped he'd suffer.

"She is pretty, I suppose. For a child, anyway." A dark grin spread over Sou's face. "Since you won't be around to do it, should I be the one to make her into a woman for you? Or shall I leave it to the Emperor?" he asked.

"What in th' hell!" Before he could get out any further protest Sou's hands came down on Tasuki's shoulders and pushed down hard, covering Tasuki up to his hair in water.

Tasuki thrashed around, gripping Tamahome's hand and tugging at it. Air was fast leaving his lungs, and he struggled harder. Desperation drove him to claw at the hand holding him under. He kicked at Tamahome's feet, attempting to knock him over, but soon enough the fight was leaving him. His lungs burned, starving for oxygen.

Sou pulled him back up and, before Tasuki could gulp down a breath of air, Sou clamped his hand over Tasuki's mouth.

Tasuki pushed against Tamahome's chest with bound wrists, leaning his head back as far as he could to break the grip Tamahome had on him. When he managed to get his face away he gasped in a breath. In a raspy growl he snarled at Sou. "What the hell was that for? I thought ya said ya weren't here t' kill me! Ya wanna help me then leggo a me, otherwise leave me t'die!"

"No, Genrou." Sou grabbed him around the neck, enjoying the panic-stricken look he wore. "I want you to suffer like you've made me suffer. I want to know that you are the reason others have been and will continue to be hurt!"

His dark green eyes glinted in the reflection from the water.

"Most of all, I want you to know what I saw. I want you to feel it all for them. Feel the claws ripping into you while you scream in agony, wild beasts throwing you against the stone floor hard enough to crack your skull, watching your insides spill out while you're eaten alive, and all the while praying to a fake god that your hero will save you, your older brother will come crashing through that door any second and save you, save your precious sister. But it never happens!" Tears had started to flow down Sou's cheeks, but he didn't seem to pay them any mind.

"I want you to see them when you sleep and think of them when you're in hell. And I want you to know that the only person who can make the nightmares stop is the person who hates you more than anything in the world."

Sou pushed a hand to Tasuki's chest and pinned him to the edge of the bath, biting the nape of his neck.

Tasuki tried to push away, but he couldn't grip anything very well. His back started to ache pressing against the rim of the tub.

That was the truth behind Tamahome's visit, wasn't it? He wasn't here to say goodbye, apologize for his mistrust, or even to kill his enemy. This was revenge.

Sou's eyes narrowed. The hatred that he had masked came roaring back to life. Blazing bolts of sickened red, tainted with blood, tainted with black essence, swirled around him. His hand tightened around Tasuki's throat, right over the circle of bruises from earlier in the day. He wanted to feel Tasuki's life force drained out of him.

Tasuki felt his eyes go wide as sharp teeth dug deeply into his neck and memories flowed into his mind in a jumble that was interconnected to a flow of images from his own eyes. Images of him telling Miaka he loved her, seeing his horror as Nuriko died to save him, images of the wreck Tamahome had been. His confusion and self distrust as everyone heaped blame on him, surprise and shock filling him when the beasts had called him master, his brief confusion over misplaced feelings for Tamahome, the quiet grief when he realized that Ji could make Tamahome happy, allowing Miaka into his heart at last, seeing her joy when she looked at him. Thousands of images flowed and connected with ones coming from somewhere completely unknown.

Sou hummed as not only Tasuki's life force but his _life_ flowed into him. The bandit now held Tamahome's memories. The horror and the crazed denial, the burning hatred and the not quite love... He easily gave up the horrific images of his children's faces when he found them dead. He drank in the happy moments of Tasuki's life with relish, as if they would replace his own. Tears of all sorts of emotions flowed down both their cheeks and mingled with the salty taste of the blood. Everything flowed like wine in a promised country. He knew of Tamahome's last moments of exaltation before the world came crashing down, the secret exchange of his first time inside a woman's body and the devastating consequences that turned him into what he was now; driving a wedge between the part he called Sou and the part that still belonged to Tamahome.

Tasuki at last understood what Tamahome had become and who had done it to him. It was his fault… and Ji-hime's. His voice returned and he screamed his release, tears of loss wetting his eyes and trailing down his cheeks. "No," he whispered, "No... It's not true." The only things he could see and hear were the echoes of memories still slamming around in his head.

Sou pulled away, leaving what was left for the executioner tomorrow. Not a drop was spilled as he licked his lips, got silently out of the water, and left.

Tasuki was now caught in the last memory gifted -_cursed_- to him; Tamahome's anger and hurt. He didn't hear a sound as Tamahome, now Sou,left him there to mourn.

He lay on the cold floor, watching the memories replay before his saddened eyes. He didn't know how long he had been laying there when the guards came in to collect him.

Ardou looked down at the crumpled and crying form of his prisoner. It looked as though he'd been overcome by the guilt of his actions. They tried to break the bandit out of it but he remained in a nearly comatose state, muttering quietly to himself. He smirked and gestured to his men to grab Tasuki and drag him through the halls in the exact state he was in.

He'd have preferred that it were the middle of the day so that the display of the broken bandit being dragged through the halls could be witnessed by all of the inhabitants of the palace, but he was happy enough to call a cadence as they marched down the halls.

A mixture of laughter and mocking curses fell on Tasuki's ears, mingling with the horrific images that Sou had given him.

Soft white light from the room below reflected in eager black eyes. Could birds smile? If they could, this one just had. There was a pattering flutter as it took off. The steam rising from the bath house slits swirled with the wind from its wings, and one black, not-quite-crow raced back to its master.


	36. Chapter 35

_**Again...**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

In the Throne Room

Sitting in the throne room, surrounded by statesmen and advisors clamoring for the death of the accused seishi, Hotohori sighed. The decision was one that would weigh heavily upon him, but there was no other choice. Was there?

"Tasuki has been scheduled to hang in the morning hours. We will inform Miaka-sama ourself." He dismissed his staff with the wave of one elegant hand. "We shall decide how to proceed after the hanging."

Chichiri stepped into the room just as Hotohori announced the death sentence of his bandit friend. His words were like a blade that fell and cleaved him in two. He staggered a bit and caught himself by leaning against the wall.

"Saihitei-sama, I'm sorry to intrude, but may I speak with you privately whenever you've finished here, no da?"

Hotohori nodded tiredly. "Of course, Houjun." He gestured for his brother seishi to come over once the statesmen had started to leave. "We can speak in my office. This way."

Getting to his feet, he stepped down from the dais and led the way to the small door off of the throne room. He walked around to sit behind his desk, then Hotohori offered Chichiri a chair and waited patiently for the man to speak.

Chichiri was glad to accept a place to sit. Though he was exhausted, his body felt jittery. He was almost afraid to ask, but knowledge was power and without it he would be lost in this strange new situation.

"I fell unconscious once all of you left, no da. Mitsukake and Kaen-san couldn't tell me anything about the attack, no da. Can you fill me in, no da?"

Hotohori sighed and leaned an elbow on the desk, fingers cradling his brow. "Demons attacked and murdered a lot of people. Tamahome's brother and sister were among the ones murdered, as well as the suspected Seiryuu seishi, Ji-hime. We also lost Nuriko to them."

It all sounded so bland when said that way. None of the horror seemed to fit into that short explanation. It seemed so... so much like something that had happened to someone else instead of in his own palace.

Beneath his mask, the color washed away from Chichiri's face and sunk down through his legs into the floor. "Nuriko... killed? And Tamahome-kun's..." He trailed off. Both of them knew that all of the people close to the kind-hearted blue-haired seishi had been lost in the attack. But then... what did Tasuki have to do with it? The monk stared quietly at the floor, allowing himself and the Emperor a moment of silent contemplation. He brought his head up slowly and peered straight back at his leader, his advisee, his friend, his brother. "Then... what was that about Tasuki-kun, no da?"

Raising tired and betrayed eyes to the monk, Hotohori leaned back from the desk and stood. "Tasuki has turned out to be the master of the beasts. They had been heard chanting 'master' and seen bowing at his feet by several people. My advisors insist that his death will appease the people."

"That's impossible!" Chichiri shouted as he rose from his chair. Once he was on his feet, a sharp pain in his side as if he was being pierced by the sword anew forced him to sit back down. "Tasuki-kun couldn't have done something like this, no da. You don't believe it, do you, Hotohori-sama, no da?"

Hotohori turned to the window that overlooked a small, private garden. "I have no choice but to believe it. He offered no struggle when the guards took him and has yet to request a stay of execution. Those are not the actions of an innocent man."

It felt wrong, but he was an Emperor; he was bound by duty to do the right thing by his people. And his people screamed for the blood of the red haired bandit. "You are free to offer him a prayer. Perhaps his soul can be redeemed before the hangman's noose encircles his neck."

It wasn't possible. There was just no way. The excited smile on Tasuki's face when he bought those dolls for Yuiren-chan and the pride he exuded when he said he'd teach Chuei-kun to fight... That couldn't be a lie. Chichiri's mind raced through the possibilities, and they seemed nearly endless. Suddenly, his face lit up.

"The Shogun, no da!" He may have been grasping at straws, but hell if he'd let go yet. "Kutou has been looking for an excuse to attack us for years, no da. Couldn't Tasuki-kun have been framed, no da?"

"Possible, but the Shogun was protecting Miaka from the creatures. Had he been the one controlling them, she would have been dead to ensure we would be unable to summon Suzaku. The Shogun has departed to give us time to recuperate from the attack and to ask his Emperor for more time before resuming the peace talks. Or so he claims." Turning back to Chichiri, Hotohori offered a pained smile. "I understand your desire to find a reason to exonerate him, but I fear that he shall hang at dawn no matter what we personally think."

His fist was clenching as Hotohori's words sunk needles into his chest. "So... you think he did it, no da. You think your brother-seishi who fought side by side with you, who cares about Miaka-sama, Yuiren-chan, and Chuei-kun so much... You think he's been deceiving us, all this time, no da?" His words were low, but they escalated slowly, like a rattlesnake rising before it strikes.

Hotohori shook his head. "No, I believe in the bandit but there is the matter of his refusal to deny any of it. Tasuki seems like a kind hearted individual. Someone chosen by Suzaku could not do something like this... but he hasn't offered even a token resistance. I feel that his only crime is refusing to defend himself, but the people have taken his lack of protest as an admission of guilt. I am a servant to the people; I must heed their cries for vengeance."

Chichiri's hand relaxed and his tone became gentler. Hotohori didn't believe it after all. "He's a scapegoat, no da."

"To you and I? Yes, he is. To the people, he is a murderer." Hotohori collapsed back into his chair. "If there were a way to redeem him or get him out of here, I would accept that and be grateful, but if he is believed to be alive the people of this country would hunt him down and lynch him to protect themselves. Our hands are tied in this matter, Houjun."

"Hotohori-sama's hands might be tied..." Chichiri said as he stood carefully, "But mine are still free, no da." He gave his Emperor a slight smile. "I'm going to Mount Taikyoku to seek answers, no da. I'd like to take some of the others with me. Will that be a problem, no da?" The monk's words seemed innocent enough, but he hoped that Hotohori would catch their hidden meaning.

Sharing a shrewd gaze with his long-time friend, Hotohori prodded further. "The others that will be going along with you, you will find a way to explain away their absence, won't you? I fear that anyone gone missing would be searched for, what with all the chaos here. Take whomever you see fit, just be sure to leave a note as to their whereabouts." A small, grateful smile curved his lips and he gestured to the door. "Thank you for coming and speaking with Us, Houjun-san. I do hope that your trip to the holy mountain is peaceful and that you find the answers you seek."

"Of course, no da," Chichiri said as he shared in the Emperor's smile. "I will bring back news for you too, Hotohori-sama." Hunched over, the monk made his way for the door. He gripped the doorjamb and looked back over his shoulder. "Hotohori-sama, if you like, you can just call me Chichiri, no da." With that, he left the room to be greeted by Kaen waiting outside for him.

The things that one hears while sneaking through places one should not probably go are important parts of a young man's life. Luckily for Ou, he and the old scholar had gone through the harem without incident when fleeing. The old man had decided he wanted to go back through, now that the place was populated. He demonstrated several hiding spots, looking places, and spoke somewhat philosophically of his youth. All of this, while Ou nodded and understood, wouldn't make sense to him for a few more years. When it did, though, he would be eternally grateful to the old man for telling him about a lot of things before he needed to know them.

All of this meandering about, far from being a plot device to allow characters to appear and disappear at will, also resulted in much of the conversation between Hojoun and the Emperor being overheard, to which the old scholar mused something about needing reinforcement. In any case, not too soon after the monk left, the old scholar decided to sweep in, dragging Ou along with him.

"Saihitei, Eminence, the law permits you to execute and spare people at your whim. What prevents you from doing this now?" Ou visibly whitened at the mention of the Emperor's name, and wondered whether he was going to have to dodge things trying to kill him for a second time.

The Emperor seethed. This intrusion suggested others may have heard the words he spoke and could be bringing them to Miaka, whose heart would surely break under their weight.

This old advisor was wise but his words questioned the power of his Emperor. Never the less, Hotohori kept a calm expression and nodded, as if considering them.

"Surely you don't suggest that the Son of Heaven is in error? Even if my brother, Tasuki, is innocent, the people need to be secure in the knowledge that someone was punished for this crime. They are calling for his head and despite what I feel in my heart, I would like to keep the favor of my people."

He couldn't hold back a sad expression, thinking of the easier and carefree times he'd been experiencing not so long ago. Konan was truly on the verge of collapse but he had to hold on to control long enough to restore peace to his people.

Given an opening, the old scholar smiled. Ou, however, was thinking. What was old practice to the scholar was a new situation to Ou, and thus there would be lots of thinking and learning.

The old scholar nodded. "Your confidence is kept, Saihitei. The only people who could hear you would sooner lose their heads than tell your enemies, or would be guaranteed to lose them before they told their enemies." The old man smiled in a very predatory way. "When addressing His Majesty, young scholar, you should always keep your gaze on his eyes. They will tell you more about his words than anything. Despite what you may hear about them, they will not destroy you by looking at them." Ou was not convinced at this particular point, and thus continued to appear to study the intricate designs of the Emperor's throne.

"Regarding the matter of punishment, surely your Majesty has enemies that are more convenient to punish, even to execute, than one who accompanied you to the summoning chamber? The accounts are many and fragmented, and descriptions are varied."

Ou shook his head. "That won't work," he said quietly. To his credit, and his intense panic, the old scholar heard him.

"No? What would you say then, young scholar?" The old scholar gave the Emperor a wink, signaling his intent.

"That-that the summoning chamber was defiled by someone who served another god. That someone from Seiryuu sent those beasts to interrupt the summoning."

"Very good, young scholar, but lacking. How does that shift the blame away? Can you produce someone else to take the blame? People saw the creatures bow to their master."

"M-maybe he was possessed? Maybe it was a shape changer?"

"Getting there, young scholar, but do you expect that the people will be quiet if there are shape changers about?"

"N-no. I suppose not." Deflated, Ou returned to his thinking, embarrassed.

"The people's cry for blood could be assuaged if you could find someone else, after a quick investigation. The Shogun of Kutou retreats in haste after this. His suspicion is great. You could turn their rage outward."

"That's horrible. You would send people out to attack other people, who might not even be responsible." Ou tried to speak even more quietly, but the old scholar's hearing was excellent.

"If you're going to venture an opinion, young scholar, be ready to have it questioned. What is your alternative?"

"To find out what really happened."

"Noble, and admirable, but how are you going to keep the people from rioting while they wait and worry? Sending them to war will let them burn their rage on someone else." Without an answer, and now both frustrated and embarrassed, Ou returned to his throne studies.

"Think about it, Majesty. Kutou is at our borders, pressing in. Then this happens, and their detachment flees. We may be on the brink of an invasion. Getting the people ready for war may save their lives, and it might save the life of the bandit as well."

"An obvious conclusion, to blame our existing enemy. You would have me start a war?" Hotohori shook his head at the old man, but some part of him knew this was all for Ou's benefit. He wasn't really arguing with The Emperor but training the young one.

"War must be avoided at all costs. A man can be exonerated of crimes posthumous if he must and I can offer Tasuki honor after death if the truth is discovered. If the bandit is released or pardoned, what then? The people riot. A war with such unstable situations is undesirable as well. No, the people have spoken."

With a sly smile he looked to Ou. "The truth is admirable but unfortunately sometimes time stands against you. Continue looking for the truth, always. Eavesdropping is dangerous if you don't understand what you've heard."

Would the child realize that perhaps Tasuki might be saved?

"At all costs? Highness, impossible. Master Sun would certainly disapprove. And giving someone a pardon after their death is small comfort. Killing an innocent man would certainly reflect poorly on the Son of Heaven. A riot would not look particularly good, either. So, young scholar, between the choice of the death of an innocent and the death of many innocents, which would you choose?"

"Not to kill. If it can be done with nobody dying, then do it that way."

"And how would you accomplish such a thing, young scholar? The Son of Heaven says that a man is to die so that many more people do not die. How do you resolve that conflict so that none die?"

"You don't kill the man."

"Then the people riot."

The gears finally started turning in Ou's head. "So you do kill him without killing him, then."

"You are of two faces, young scholar. Explain yourself."

Ou turned to the Emperor and looked him in the eye. "How hard is it to rig a hanging so that it looks like someone dies, but they don't?"

The Emperor chuckled a little. The boy was intelligent but he was treading on dangerous ground. Chichiri's plan would only work if people believed Tasuki to be dead. Anyone, even fellow seishi, who believed he was alive could jeopardize their ability to pull this off.

"Incredibly hard, I'm afraid. If the execution were to be private, something could be done to save his life by faking death. A hanging, however, is very public. All the court ministers will be there."

He sighed heavily. The decision to end Tasuki's life was an unfortunate one, but he trusted Chichiri would take care of things until they could prove it was not Tasuki's fault.

"Your time would be best spent finding out who the real criminal was behind the attacks. You spoke of the summoning chamber becoming defiled. I think, perhaps, you may be correct. This requires more investigation. Ou, if you wish, I would like to see you look into this for me. The grounds for the temple are mostly ruins and ash now, but you may be able to look beyond that."

He hoped that the boy would take advantage of this honor and leave the mystery of Tasuki's safety to him.

Ou took the brush-off and redirection with as much good humor as someone would who felt like there was something that wasn't being told to him. None of that actually appeared on his face, and he bowed to the Emperor and said "Very well, Your Majesty."

The older scholar smiled, and said "You remember the way, right?" For once in his lifetime, Ou nodded. He did remember the way. "Good. I suggest you start your investigation immediately. There are some logistics that must be discussed before I return to the library, but that is where we old scholars go after our time is finished."

Ou left the chambers and went on his way, a determined look on his face.

"A little more coaching, Excellency, and a little more tempering, and that boy's mind will be the sharpest steel you can wield. Once the results are officially announced, I want you to keep him here. That boy will be your best advisor, and, heaven willing, will give even better advice to your sons. One thing I will tell you, though, before I go. This country will be at war soon. You should prepare your people."

Hotohori smiled at the wise old man and nodded.

"The boy is very bright. He will be useful in my cabinet when he grows older. His clever ideas will prove invaluable."

He gave the man a nod, allowing him to leave, and then exited the room himself. He was exhausted and extremely unhappy with the uncertainty of Tasuki's future. He trusted Chichiri to do something to protect the bandit and make the execution look real. For now, he had to wait until tomorrow.

After slowly dragging her way back to her room and getting ready for sleep, Miaka sat in the dark by herself for hours. She was wondering what would happen with Tasuki and what to do if he did die. She couldn't stomach the thought and found herself pacing nervously.

There was a tap at her door and she ran to it, throwing the sliding doors open and hoping to see Tasuki. Instead, a young maid was at her door.

"Oh... hello," she said, awkwardly.

"I don't mean to bother you, Priestess, but I've heard that a decision was made regarding the one they call Tasuki. He is to be hung tomorrow morning. I thought you would want to know."

All Miaka could hear was the echoing sound of the word 'hung' in her head.

"That can't be right." She shook her head in disbelief. "I think you've misheard."

The maid kowtowed before her apologetically. She offered Miaka a glass of water and helped her back to her room. In her daze, Miaka drank the water without knowing why. Her mind and eyes were hazy and before long she'd fallen asleep.

The maid tucked her in and exited the room, softly. She had lost a lover in the same way Miaka was about to and had taken it upon herself to slip Miaka a sedative so that she might not have to witness the death of the one she loved. A favor, perhaps, but only the morning would decide.

Not long after, Chichiri appeared in Miaka's room to find her sleeping peacefully upon her bed. Had she known Tasuki was to be hanged in the morning? If she had, she couldn't have slept through it like this. He laid his hand on her forehead gently, and when he felt no moisture or heat, he nodded to himself.

He could take Miaka with him to Mount Taikyoku. That wasn't a problem. But if Hotohori or anyone else came looking for her...

He procured a piece of paper and a quill kept upon the desk in Miaka's room and started to write.

"Dear Saihitei-sama,

I am going on a short trip to mourn the loss of my beloved. Please do not try to follow me. I will return soon. Thank you for all of your kindness.

Miaka"

He drew in a little chibi Miaka with a heart over her head, and then replaced the quill in the inkwell. He made his way back over to Miaka's bedside.

Carefully, he lifted her up into his arms, and with a poof of smoke, they were both gone.


	37. Chapter 36

_**Again...**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

At the Shrine

Where to begin? Ou had been told to investigate the ruins and see if he couldn't come back with a working theory of what went wrong. There was supposed to be the great summoning, and then Suzaku would descend into the priestess, and then her wishes would be known to the people, and the age of peace would begin. That was the plan, anyway. Standing around the round, Ou mentally sketched what was there, and started replaying the events in his head, walking to the places where he had stood.

"Then there were the seven and the priestess around right here, and her attendant went to the back, but didn't leave, and Miaka said the prayer, just as it was written, and threw the scroll into the fire. At that point, everything was going well, and... Something... had congratulated me on my examinations. That might have just been me hearing my own mind, though."

Ou stood in the spot where he was, looking down. "Everyone was on the right constellation, and then, the blue bolt happened." Ou looked down, and felt something different. Traces of something else... something much colder. He couldn't tell what it was, though. Still, he followed the feeling as it led back to a corner of what would be the summoning chamber.

"Hrm. Wasn't Miaka's attendant here?" Unconvinced that it was anything other than the weather, Ou went and stood in a different Seishi's spot. After feeling around, there was a similar chill that led back. On a whim, Ou continued around the circle, feeling the chill and noting that it always led back to one place.

"Once is a weather pattern, twice is a coincidence, three times is a clue." he said to nobody in particular. "I'm pretty sure that Miaka's attendant was standing here. And she was the one who reacted most violently to everything that happened. I felt the power of Seiryuu emanating from her then. Just a flash, but a big one. And then the Amazon arrived, and everything went to hell," he said, trying out one of the phrases the scholars had used to describe the situation. "It's like there's something I should remember, something very important, and there's something getting in my way of remembering that. What did I figure out then that I can't remember now?"

Ou began to pace. Things were getting out of hand. Innocent people were going to be killed, the summoning had gone wrong, and he couldn't shake the feeling, completely irrational and groundless as it was, that it was somehow at least partially his fault, because he couldn't remember something or couldn't figure something out.

"What use is it being smart when the one time you need to be smart, you can't be?" he said, sitting down, tears building in his eyes.

"Intelligence can only get you so far without the knowledge you need, no da," said the monk as he approached from behind.

"Aaah!" Ou scrambled a bit to see who the new visitor was. Upon seeing the monk, he relaxed some.

Chichiri tilted his head at the young boy. He smiled gently at the frustrated tears that came from his eyes.

"We're setting out to find answers together, no da. Once we have more pieces of the puzzle, everything should fit. We could use your intelligence to help connect everything, na no da. Would you like to join us, no da?"

"Um... sure, I can come along. But where are we going? All of the things that happened happened here. Where else can we go?"

"To visit one who sees all, no da," Chichiri explained cryptically.

He tossed his kasa into the air and let it drive down to the ground. He couldn't recall ever having the boy travel this way before.

"Just step right in, no da. Kaen-san, Mitsukake, and Miaka-sama are already there and Tasuki-kun will be joining them soon."

Ou looked at the monk. "Step 'in' there, where there's a kasa on top of solid ground, and somehow we'll go somewhere else? You may as well claim that you can travel through time as well, and that you're some sort of ageless lord trying to right the wrongs of history."

Chichiri tapped his chin and seemed to stare off into spare.

"I've never tried time travel, no da. But I'd be pretty silly to try to right the wrongs of history, no da."

He dropped his hand and smiled.

"Try it. The others are waiting, no da.

Just about every logical faculty told him that this was either going to fail spectacularly, or that it would succeed and that he would be at the mercy of someone else's intent. He had seen the monk in the summoning chamber, though, so he was reasonably sure of his allegiance. So he decided to take the plunge, as it were, even though such a phrase wasn't around yet.

It's a bit disconcerting, falling through space-time. Kind of like being in an elevator that not only goes up and down, but sideways, crossways, front ways, back ways, and all sorts of ways in between. And it's dark. Very dark, so you have no points of reference to see which way you're going.

Tasuki's Jail Cell

Ardou smirked as the bandit began to shake and writhe as he hung between the two guards dragging him down the cell block; the filthy cur deserved whatever horrors were tormenting him. "Toss him back in his cell with his boots and a blanket. Maybe we can be lucky and he'll sicken and die through the last few hours of the night. It would serve him right to suffer as he dies after what he did."

The guards accompanying him laughed and did as they were told, throwing Tasuki into the dark cell with a ratty blanket as his only form of clothing. One guard kicked Tasuki hard in the ribs, rolling him to the wall to pant and gasp. "Filthy scum. My brother died in your fucking attack." He kicked Tasuki again, grinning as ribs cracked under his assault.

Tasuki lay still, staring sightlessly at the stone wall his face was pressed against.

"Aw, leave him be Zhin. He's obviously not there; otherwise I'd say keep on."

Zhin and the rest of the guards filed out of the cell and slammed the gate shut with a loud clang, "Get out of _that_ Wolf Master." The guards laughed and sauntered back to the desk to finish out their shift with the prisoner.

Hours passed and slowly Tasuki became aware of his surroundings again. First the clenching in his gut told him that he was starving as it was ritual to fast before the summoning and it had been more than a day since he'd last eaten. The searing pain in his ribs when he shifted brought him fully awake and he rolled to his belly, heaving up the meager fluids in his stomach.

Raising wild, frightened eyes to his surroundings, Tasuki sighed. A measure of comfort filled him as he realized that he was back in jail and was only hours from his date with death. Soon the memories that Sou had seen fit to gift him with would fade away completely as he closed his eyes for the last time.

He hoped.

Tasuki huddled against the wall with his knees drawn up to his chest, starting at shadows and clutching his boots to his chest. Tamahome, no, Sou had shown up silently before and he could still be waiting for him in this jail cell now. Fear gripped Tasuki in a way he'd never known before. "Just be quiet. He'll think you're not here if you're really quiet. Just be quiet. Quiet," he whispered to himself, as his eyes darted around and tried to penetrate the shadows that filled his dark jail cell.

Out of the cold dirt floor, the injured monk rose into the cell where the bound-for-death bandit was quietly awaiting his fate. For a moment, he didn't even see him, curled up on himself in the corner as if he were trying to disappear. A glance outside the cell bars and a quick listen indicated that no guards were coming to check on him. Chichiri gave a heavy sigh to let his friend know he was here before he advanced toward him.

"Tasuki-kun," he whispered, "I'm going to get you out of here, no da."

Tasuki bit back a whimper as the words drifted to him, fearing that the visions had come back again, not realizing that the voice was entirely different. Huddling tighter into the side of the bed, trying hard to disappear into the wall, Tasuki tried to pierce the darkness. Being prepared probably wouldn't help him escape, but it might give him a fighting chance.

The familiar rooster tail of bangs -that was almost as much of a trademark as the smiling mask and the shakajou- looked threatening in the near absolute darkness. "No more, Sou." He whimpered, tucking his feet under himself and sliding to the side. If he could get around the intruder, he might be able to... run? Attack? He didn't know, but being pinned in a corner wasn't the best way to fend off an attacker. Especially since his attacker was someone he had trusted and fought beside.

_Tamahome-kun? What could he have to do with anything?_ Chichiri moved closer to his friend, who seemed to want nothing more than to disappear into the wall. They were probably treating him like a common criminal down here. He bent down in front of the bandit, trying to get a look at him in the dim light.

"Tasuki-kun, it's me, Chichiri, no da. I know you didn't use those monsters to attack anyone, so I'm here to take you to safety, no da. I'll send you to Mount Taikyoku, and Taiitsu-kun can take care of you, na no da," he said softly.

He reached out a hand to touch his arm.

"I need to get a good look at you first, no da."

The name registered with Tasuki, but the voice and shape of the shadow still resembled his nightmare. Skittering backwards, though the wall stopped him after a few inches, Tasuki shoved his still bound hands out to push away the shadow-figure yet his perception was off and he ended up tangling his wrists in a beaded necklace of sorts. "I said I was sorry! I didn't do it! I swear! Please, please, no more." His voice quieted to an almost imperceptible whimper while hot tears rolled down his face and he tried to tug his hands free. His head bowed and he sunk to the floor, a thin shaft of moonlight falling across the bruises on his neck from a small slit window set high in the wall.

Chichiri gave him an astonished stare, but remained still when he twisted the ties around his wrists with his prayer beads. He was babbling, no doubt about some kind of torture he'd been put through. Anger rose like sparks up Chichiri's back, but he held it in. The guards had no doubt tormented an innocent man and put him through unimaginable pain. Beyond the righteous fury, there was real compassion for the red-haired man who had become one of his closest friends in so short a time. The scars of the day's events would never fully heal.

They both knew that.

"Tasuki-kun..." Chichiri reached down and untied the cloth which bound Tasuki's wrists to his necklace.

The voice finally penetrating his brain, Tasuki's head flew up and he stared wide eyed at Chichiri. "Ch-Chichiri?" He looked down as his hands were released, his panic rising as he watched the torn pieces of his shirt fall from his hands.

In a moment of gratitude, he flung his arms around the monk's hips and sobbed into his shirt. A broken account of what had happened in the bathhouse fell from his lips as he tightened his grip. "And now... now it's gonna be okay! It's all gonna be over soon. I won't hafta remember the horror an' agony that Sou shoved in my head and made me see." His breath hitched as he slowly calmed down, but he refused to release the monk. At the moment, Chichiri was his only link to sanity.

Chichiri took it all in - all of the mumbled horrifying details. It might have been a bout of temporary insanity on Tamahome's part, a depraved grief-stricken act. But the ability to do what Tamahome had done… the memories that flooded into Tasuki's mind when Tamahome bit him... that sounded much too much like...

"Magic, no da," Chichiri whispered to himself. He looked down at his bandit friend. "I don't really know what's going on with Tamahome-kun, but I'm sure Taiitsu-kun will know, no da."

He placed his hand in Tasuki's hair gently. His heart was aching for him. Could Tasuki feel that?

"It'll all be over soon, no da. I just need to get a look at you so I don't miss any of the details that I need to make it convincing, no da."

"M-make it look convincing? What are ya t-talkin' about?" Tasuki asked, peeking up at Chichiri through a wash of tears and a clump of half dried hair.

He didn't want Chichiri to look at him, especially now. "But, ya can't- ya can't look. I'm naked. Them fuck head guards dragged me back like this. Just gave me my boots an' a hole-filled blanket."

This elicited a small sweat drop from the monk.

"I'm going to get you out of here, but I have to make sure that they think you're dead, or they'll hunt you down or riot, na no da. I can't have anyone looking for a bruise or a cut and not finding it, no da," he explained.

Tasuki bit his lip but nodded and got to his feet. "I got a few scars that are kinda noticeable." He covered his groin with both hands and gestured over his shoulder with his chin at his back. "Whip marks back here and a few cracked ribs from a really big, fat ass boot."

Chichiri put a finger to his chin. He popped up on Tasuki's right side, sized him up, and then popped up on his left, his front, his back. Ordinarily, he'd use magic to make it near impossible to follow his movements, but with his store depleted, he was circling Tasuki himself.

When he was finished he nodded, snapped, and there was a poof of smoke. Once it cleared, his image had shifted to reveal a carbon copy of Tasuki, in all of his battered birthday suit glory. "How's this, no da?"

"Holy shit," Tasuki breathed, staring at... himself. "Is that what I really look like?" he asked in awe, surprised that even as messed up as he felt, he looked slightly normal.

Chichiri peered down at his 'body'. "It might not be the right size, but I gave you the benefit of the doubt, no da."

Tasuki blushed. "I wasn't lookin' at _THAT_, ya hentai monk! I got no interest in lookin' at... _that_ on nobody!"

Something clicked in his head at that moment. "But, Chiri, why do ya gotta look like me? We're both goin', right?"

"I'm sending you ahead of me, and I'll follow you tomorrow morning, no da."

"Follow tomorrow... but, that means yer gonna... how the hell are ya gonna get outta gettin' hung?" He kept his eyes on Chichiri's... his... the other bandit... whoever's face, and tried to read an answer out of his eyes. Unfortunately he had no experience with doing that, else he'd have seen the intent in Sou's eyes before things had gotten as far as they had.

"It'll be a switch again, no da. Me for you, no da." Chichiri held up a hand and looked up at the ceiling pensively. "This is three times now, no da." He held up three fingers and smiled. "I've got a plan to get out before I hang and to make them think you were really killed, na no da."

Tasuki cocked a brow at the monk, "Three times?" He blinked in confusion, and then he remembered that Chichiri had swapped and put himself in Tasuki's place before. "Oh. Yeah, I owe ya my life arready. Damn, why the hell can't I keep my ass outta trouble? Am I a magnet for it or somethin'?" he finished rhetorically with a hand to his head.

"Tasuki falls into trouble wherever it brews, no da," Chichiri said.

"Smart ass." Tasuki grinned, and it felt strange but better than the tears of before. "After this, I swear ya ain't gotta save me no more and whatever ya want in payment I'll gladly give ya," he promised, smiling apologetically.

"In repayment..." Again, Chichiri got that look on his face like he was contemplating something hefty. " Stay on Taiitsu-kun's good side and we'll call it even, no da."

"Taiitsu-kun? That some kinda monk guy like you? I'll try t'stay on his good side. I'm kinda scared to go alone, but if ya trust this guy, then I'll be on my best behaviour." Tasuki promised with a wider grin.

"Taiitsu-kun is..." Chichiri sweat dropped, unable to describe the terror that awaited the young bandit, "Well, you'll see when you meet him, no da."

He produced his kasa out of seemingly nowhere, and then let it drift down to the cold dirt floor.

"Ready to go, no da?"

Tasuki looked down at the kasa then back up at the monk. "I guess so. But, um... is this guy gonna... stare at me for showin' up lookin'... like this?" He glanced back down at himself then up at the monk. "I guess I c'n put that blanket around me, that way I'm at least covered."

"I doubt it, no da. If you were wearing clothes, you'd probably end up stripped anyway, no da," Chichiri replied while the number of sweat drops on his head increased.

"S-stripped? Maybe it ain't so good an idea t'go. I-I don't want... it's not like... it ain't the same as what... _he_ did, right?" Tasuki stuttered out, stepping away from the straw hat as though it were a poisonous snake.

"No, no, nothing like that, no da." Chichiri held his hands up and shook them. "It's just procedure so that the Nyan Nyan can fix you, no da."

Looking none too sure of the reply, Tasuki edged over to the kasa and peered down into it. "You're- you're sure? Just fer healin', right?"

"Yes, just for healing."

Tasuki grabbed the blanket from the floor and grimaced at how it smelled, but wrapped it around his hips and picked his boots up. "Uh, so how do I...?"

"Step into the middle, no da."

Giving his friend a wobbly smile, Tasuki closed his eyes and stepped into the hat. At first he panicked when everything went dark, but he could feel the tingle of Chichiri's magic along his skin and it calmed him down.

As Tasuki sunk slowly through the kasa, as if sucked down by quicksand, Chichiri smiled and waved cheerfully. Once his friend was out of sight and out of danger, he crashed against the wall, holding his ribs. He let out a sigh and slid down to a sitting position. With a poof the binding that was used to tie Tasuki up were on his wrists, and he frowned into the shadows.

At least the misery he felt would make him more convincing in his role. Tamahome-kun had... He swallowed roughly, trying to comfort himself with the fact that Tasuki would be safe now, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that nothing would ever be quite right again.

Outside Eiyou

The forest was quiet and still. It seemed to the teal-haired man that roamed the paths there that the very life of the trees had been snuffed out, and he didn't mind at all. He was delighted that the way back to the room he shared with his Princess was deadly silent. It gave him time to muse over the new feeling of power that ran through his veins. It felt much like pulsing. The memories he took from his former comrade were fading, like a dream fades at the light of dawn, but the energy was still racing inside of him. His tongue ran over his lips and settled on the sharp new tip of his canines. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lip. Those were certainly new.

The fallen celestial warrior halted his steps and looked around, regarding his surroundings with a frigid, indifferent gaze. The world looked different than it had at the beginning of this morning. It was as if he had never opened his eyes until this night. The moonlight cut the shadows with keen precision, dazzling blue white against deep black. He could hear even the smallest sounds of scurrying animal's feet across the forest floor, kicking up needles and dirt. The boy who used to be known as Tamahome trailed his fingers over the bark of one of the smooth birch trees and sat down at its foot.

Ji-hime would still be asleep, and he didn't want to go back just yet. There were new sensations to take in tonight, new wonders to explore. Sou, the name Tamahome would answer to from now until his death, had been reborn to darkness at his mistresses biding. He didn't mind the odd new cravings, and the heightened scenes were intriguing, but most of all he loved the silence. The incessant accusations had quieted to a dull hum at the back of his mind, silenced even further by the sound of new life blood flowing into him. The taste that lingered in his mouth was charming, full of the sweet suffering of a man he held in contempt and his arms at the same time.

Thoughts of his family were vague and twisted in his mind. He no longer felt the pain or the sorrow. The only emotion left was the blame and need for revenge. That was fine.

Sou splayed his fingers out in front of him and he examined his hand, curling and stretching the fingers as he studied it. His skin was different. He didn't know how to explain it, but there was almost a glow that reflected the moonlight. It was smoother as well. They no longer looked like the hands of a farm boy who grew up off the land, who studied martial arts to protect his family. And why should they? Sou wasn't that person anymore. That person was weak and frail, broken over life and erased from his mind. Sou smiled a cold and maniacal thing. It was wonderfully ironic that as the celestial warriors fell so did their god.

There was just one thing that troubled him - Tasuki. It seemed that the infernal boy was a constant in his mind and it made him despise him further. There was only a brief moment of exchange; a rush of memories, clouded by the surge of exaltation when they connected, but something made him not finish; something stopped him before Tasuki lay dead at his feet. At first, Sou had chocked it up to superiority. Tasuki was too weak and insignificant to even bother killing. The thoughts were superficially comforting, but his unwillingness to believe them wholeheartedly puzzled him.

Not one thing in Tasuki's mind pointed to the obvious fact that he had been the one to set the wolves on his family. Nothing proved otherwise, but the lack of it left Sou with an unsettled feeling. He hoped that Tasuki would hurry up and swing already. He thought that once the boy was dangling, the unease would settle again. However, there was a bit of him that didn't want the boy to die so quickly. He wanted to see to it that the bandit was left to suffer as long as he could.

Sou closed his eyes and his heart settled a little again. That explained the reason he had left him. Why kill something you could make to suffer later on? He pushed the meaningless confusion out of the way. What did Sou care whether Tasuki had been truly conscious of calling the wolves or not? He was guilty and he had paid, but if Sou got his way, Tasuki would never be rid of him. He would teach him how Tamahome hurt. The kind-hearted seishi had chosen a cruel champion to reign in his stead.

Getting up once more, Sou smiled and stretched. The dawn was coming and he felt exhausted. He wanted to get back to his Princess' side before she woke up. She was his savior after all; savior, mother, lover, goddess, queen, all in one. He would be by her side and protect her like a soldier, but he wanted to lie next to her again, and watch the dreams flicker in her eyes as she slept. He wanted to be there when she woke up to taste her sweet lips. An icy laugh colored his thoughts. His body wasn't the only thing that had grown different; his love for her had been changed too. What used to be soft and pathetic was now an intense desire. If he could taste just a bit more of her, he could sleep contently again.


	38. Chapter 37

_**Again...**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Mount Taikyoku

Tasuki was wrapped in the comforting darkness of Chichiri's kasa, content to simply float in the nothingness of subspace but a pinprick of light near his feet caught his eye and he flipped over to inspect the oddity.

Of a sudden, the pinprick widened enough for him to slip out and he tried in vain to crawl back inside. Dumped out of the hat on his head in the middle of a large room filled with little blue haired girls, Tasuki rubbed his abused head and sat up while tucking his blanket tighter around his hips.

The little girls looked at him in silence for a few moments and it dawned on him that all of them looked identical. As surprising as it was to find fifteen little girls that looked the same, he smiled at them and got to his feet. "Uh, Chiri-kun sent me here t'see Taiitsukun. Any 'a you sweet kids know where he is?"

It seemed that speaking to them was what they were waiting for. "We fix you! We fix you!" was all the warning he got before he was attacked by little girls and shed of his only form of covering. "GAH! HENTAI CHIBIS!" he yelled, covering himself as best he could to keep from feeling like a pervert while the kids were around. The fact that they were kids was all that was keeping him from cracking after his recent trauma. "GO BACK TO YER MA! Little girls shouldn't see grown men naked! What's a matter with you?"

More of the girls advanced, hands out in front of themselves and genki smiles on their faces. "I HATE WOMEN!" was all he got out before he was swarmed again.

"Swallow your foolish pride and let them help. You look like a thousand hells."

The Amazon spoke up from her seat at a low table across the way without turning to him. Thin sheer curtains draped between them and a strange almost dreamy aura floated in the air making her figure hard to make out, but her words cut through. Kaen's armor had long been stripped off in much the same manner, replaced with flowing robes of white. She sat sipping a clear tea out of a clear glass. A single sakura bloom sat suspended in the liquid. She placed the cup down on the table and got up, turning around to face the new comer.

"This is a holy place, so I'll refrain from shutting your mouth with my sword, but please be quiet."

She regarded him with cold eyes. What quality did Houjun-san see fit to lay his life down for in this boy?

Eyes going wide, Tasuki skittered to the side, going through the crush of little girls in his panic to escape. He crouched behind a pillar, as far from the hazed form of the Amazon woman as he could get, all the bravado sucked out of him in an instant.

The Nyan Nyans froze. Slowly, one of the blue haired little girls walked over to the crouching redhead and reached out a hand. "Heal, that's all. Safe, safe. No harm will come to you here." She spoke softly, a pink light filling her palm and encasing the shivering bandit in the calming glow.

Tasuki peeked his head out at the Amazon woman. Did she think he was guilty also? Would she have some sort of revenge cooked up against him? Silent but watchful, Tasuki allowed the little girl to finish healing him but kept a frightened glare trained on the Amazon.

Kaen raised her eyebrows up at the most unexpected reaction. Different.

"Calm yourself boy, there's no way for me to hurt you here. They've taken away my sword and we're surrounded by great magic. Besides, I am here to retrieve information, not hurt you. Houjun-san wishes you unharmed, though I could care less either way."

The Amazon turned around, ignoring his presence once again. She wasn't completely unfeeling for a person in suffering, but her feelings of anger towards this man kept her from trying anything other than assuring him his safety while here. She took a seat at her table and picked the glass she was drinking from back up, leaving the bandit to his own devises.

Tasuki brushed off her words. It didn't matter what she said; she could have said that she would bow at his feet or claim to be a duck, for all he paid attention to her words. Her _tone_ was what captured his attention. Flat, cold; a little too like _**HIS**_ for his liking.

Narrowed golden eyes never left whom he considered a threat as he allowed the little girl to heal him.

The Nyan Nyan watched his face, his eyes, noting his attitude towards the Amazon lady. She didn't understand what was going on, but she knew that her charge was very frightened. A clap of hands and a pouf of pink smoke later, she held out a large fluffy blanket to him. "Wear this, we go to your room."

Taking the blanket, he wrapped it around his shoulders and pulled it close to his skin. It smelled sweet, but comforting. He took the little girl's hand and allowed her to lead him out of the room, all the while his gaze never left the Amazon.

The Next Morning

The morning was nearly indistinguishable from the night. Black clouds had settled heavily upon the palace grounds. Mist peeked into windows and tapped on doorways. Despite the weather, the hanging was not postponed.

The guards entered the cell of the condemned as soon as orders would allow. Their calloused hands were rough and their boots even rougher. Chichiri saw the backs of their hands more than once, as they sailed toward his head. By the time they were through, blood was trickling down his nose and out his mouth. Over and over he heard the same thing.

"That was for my son, you fucker!"

"You killed my best friend!"

Again and again they called him the wolf-master and howled mockingly in his face. They were full of grief and outrage. It poisoned their souls and turned them an ugly shade of black. He neither said nor did anything.

They fashioned what may as well have been a cloth diaper around his waist, saying something about how he'd eaten his blanket. They tightened his wrist-bindings and walked him out in front of the palace grounds with a guard ten men strong. Chichiri squinted into the rolling fog. Someone must've been watching out for him this morning.

He was kicked hard in the small of the back and jerked forward. His bare feet touched down on the unpolished raised wood of the platform. The hangman's noose dangled motionless above his head. To his side, there had gathered a crowd. Thousands of his countrymen had poured out of the city to watch him choke and die, to maybe see him struggle and to see his body wiggle its last.

He swallowed. They positioned him in front of the noose while they read off his crimes. It was a list full of true and fabricated crimes, none of which he or Tasuki himself had committed, including the destruction of Hakko, Hu Lao, and Zhen Castle. Of course, they mentioned the fact that he was a bandit of Mount Reikaku, and he had been seeking revenge for the sacking of his hideout. Every mishap and atrocity that had occurred in Konan since then was placed squarely on his shoulders. The crowd was practically frothing for it to begin.

When the last transgression was read, an anxious silence took hold of the entire crowd as they looked to their Emperor for the final word.

If the man on the platform was Chichiri, Hotohori couldn't tell. He looked identical to the man his advisers demanded swing. He stood up and moved forward with a nervous anticipation.

_Please, gods, let this be a disguise. I can't be responsible for Tasuki's real death._

He nodded to the hangman and took a deep breath before announcing to the crowd his tentative sentencing. "Before us is a man with many sins in his heart. We ask that now you forgive this man and let the gods decide his punishment for the next life. It is not your place to decide. The Son of Heaven will send this criminal to His father for his final judgment."

An eerie calm hushed the crowd, stopping the vicious cries and insults. He hoped that Tasuki was somewhere safe. Hotohori settled back down in his tall throne and closed his eyes.

"Hang him," he said in a tortured whisper, waiting to hear the swing of the platform and the cheer of the crowd.

At the Emperor's command, the executioner pulled a cloth bag over the bandit's head. Once it was secure around his neck, the noose slipped over his head. Chichiri consciously kept his breathing even. He had a plan, and everything would be all right.

The rope tightened against his skin, and he stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for just the right moment... The floor dropped out from underneath him, and the noose yanked his neck upward as gravity tugged his body down, and in just that instant before he became stretched in two directions, the monk replaced himself with a dummy.

The people cheered the death of their enemy as his body swung like a pendulum. The Wolf-Master was dead.

Outside Eiyou

In the early hours of the day, when the morning light hadn't even climbed over the mountains, Sou returned to her. She did little to acknowledge his presence, and instead remained asleep to allow her body the rest and regeneration necessary to act as a god's prison cell.

When the sun was high, her eyelids slid open. Her dreams were deep and fevered, but she remembered nothing of them upon awakening except for a vague recollection of a girl wearing feathers on her body.

"Sou..." she called. "Fetch me something to eat."

Sou's body was heavy and he felt groggy by the morning. He supposed that's what happened when you're up all night. As soon as his mistress asked, he was awake.

"Yes," he replied, bowing his head.

He dressed quickly and took her leave. Downstairs, the patrons of the inn were bustling about; it was late in the morning for working folk. Sou mused at how he used to be one of them, aimless except the single-minded drive to carry on your family, as if that meant anything in the long run. Still... the feel of the dirt on your hands, rising early and gathering the chicken's eggs, planting rice… It all brought a strange tightness to his chest. He winced and put a hand to his collar, tugging at it so he could breathe again. This was nonsense. Nothing like this mattered anymore, and he was certain of it last night.

Suddenly, the smiling faces of the people who greeted him with a kind "Mornin'" scared the living hell out of him. He didn't want to be here. He needed her again, this was too much.

"Is there something I can do for you, Mister?"

A small voice interrupted his panic. He blinked down and his eye twitched as a shiver ran up his spine. A girl, a young girl _her_ age was smiling sweetly up at him. There was an unsteady feeling of duality; something pulling him in two opposite directions. Then he leashed the ridiculous feeling and knelt beside her with a snake's smile on his lips.

"I just need to find something... to eat," he smirked and reached out his hand. It trembled by her cheek, pushing back a stray strand of hair. He simultaneously wanted to hold her and to devour her. His fingers clenched into a fist and he drove both thoughts back down to where they came from.

"For my fiancée," he finished up the thought, "Could you help me to the kitchen?"

Oblivious to how close to being breakfast she had been, the little girl grinned and smiled, taking hold of the older stranger's hand and leading him through a low hanging cloth.

"I help out a lot with things around here and I made breakfast this morning." she beamed proudly in his upwards direction. "Papa sent me to pick the blueberry bush out back, so today we had tons and TONS of them and tomorrow we'll have lots more too."

The kitchen was a small room with a stove and a supply of knives. There was a bowl of berries sitting out by a shaker of sugar and cream. Two women bustled about, lifting their arms to get around each other in the tight space.

"Kitchen isn't supposed to be for guests," she not-quite-whispered to him with a wide wink, "But for you, I'll get you something."

The little girl ran to a cupboard and pulled out a loaf of bread with both hands. She then pulled out a few slices and poured cream over a bowl of sugar and berries. More of the cream got on the counter than in the bowl, and once again he felt tugging at his heart.

Sou looked away with a heave it must be weak lingering feelings from his dead half. Surely that would be gone by tomorrow. Maybe he'd take that little girl as his breakfast after she was through making Ji's. A smirk crawled to his lips as the girl presented him with a wooden tray and a wide proud grin.

"Thanks for warning us about the monsters last night," she said in explanation of her kindness.

"Thank you," he bowed his head to her with a wink.

Sou took the tray with one hand and turned out the door, but then stopped as if he'd forgotten something important.

"Where are my manners," he said with an apologetic shake of his head, "You made the meal, you should be the one to give it to her, so she can thank you."

She took the tray again and he followed behind her as she tottered the cream-filled- bowl up the steps. Sou opened the door and ushered the child in.

"Ji-sama. This little girl was kind enough to share the inn's food with us, even after all they've already done."

His tone was devious and patronizing, but the girl wouldn't be able to understand why he sounded so insincere if she picked up on it at all. Sou shut the door behind him, leaning his back against the wooden frame and clicking the bolt shut.

Miboshi was sufficiently unimpressed with whatever game it was that Sou was playing.

"Here, girl, bring it to me," she commanded.

Obediently, but a bit unsure, the girl approached the older girl and held the bowl up to her. Miboshi took it from her and balanced it upon one palm. With her other hand, she reached out and grasped a bit of the child's silken hair, before gently letting it fall from her fingers.

"I see."

Tipping the bowl to her lips, Miboshi drank a bit of the cream from atop the berries before the girl shakily handed her a spoon.

"Don't forget this."

She took the utensil, and then her eyes flicked up at Sou. It was obvious that her magic had done its job. Still, perhaps this girl he'd brought her would do well as a sort of... testing of his new boundaries.

"Thank you," Ji said with a kindly smile.

As she ate, the girl watched her as if in a trance, and Sou stood silently over her. Outside, one of her two crows cawed. Placing the spoon inside the bowl, she handed it back to the little girl.

"Bring this to Onii-chan, will you? He'll take care of it for you," Ji said, flashing a subtle glance up at Sou.

Sou had to work hard to keep the violent tremor from shaking him as hard as it wanted to. His eyes widened in disbelief that that word would slip so casually from Ji's mouth. A strange desire tugged at him; that feeling of duality, of being and not being at the same time, slipped by and caught his breath.

Slowly he closed his eyes and tried to steady himself. When they opened again, he smiled down brightly to the young girl who was holding out the nearly empty bowl for him. His green eyes flickered with the ill intent that ran just under the kindness, but the small naive child didn't notice. Placing a strong hand on her shoulder, Sou took the wooden bowl from her and turned her towards the doorway.

"You must forgive my leave again, Ji-sama." he said with a bow then lead the child out to the hallway.

There was no one up near the bedrooms this time of the day. Everyone was busy trading, farming, or keeping books. Luck was on his side.

"Let's bring the rest outside. The birds might like some, and you could show me where the blueberries came from."

He tilted the bowl to his lips and tasted the berried cream. The food was delicious, but what he was looking for was the taste of the brim. His lips closed over the very spot where his goddess had sipped and he could taste her again. His eyelids slipped closed and a soft moan escaped his lips before he could stop it.

"Do you want some fresh ones?" she asked, staring wide eyed up at him. "We could pick some out back."

"I'd love something fresh," he grinned, amused at her blissful ignorance.

She led him out back and through a bit of the woods that served as the inn's back yard. It couldn't be more perfect. Eagerly she pointed to a large bramble of blueberry bushes and skipped off ahead of him. She was happily chatting to herself about her father and how he helped her find the right ones to pick and about berries and whatever topic the mind of a five year old could jump to.

Sou quietly walked up behind her, absentmindedly running his tongue over his teeth. Not a twig snapped beneath his slippers as he knelt to his haunches, moving a hand over the girl's hair and down over her shoulder, just outside its touch. Her hair was a light brown, shoulder length. From behind she looked just like _her_. Sou watched the back of her head as she happily picked off berries for him. He had to! Something inside was screaming for him to. Voices welled up for the first time since the blissful quiet Tasuki's blood had given him. He needed them to quiet down, needed them to just shut up.

"You can call me Onii-chan if you want," he whispered in her ear.

His hand gathered the mousey brown strands and let them fall back in place, like playing harp with beautiful silken strings.

She jumped. A bit startled that his voice suddenly came from so close behind her. Her breath caught and he could feel her heart begin to race in fear. Just now she started to become afraid. It was beautiful and innocent.

"Ok... but, why?"

"Shhh. Don't be frightened," he cooed, moving the back of his hand lovingly over the line of her jaw, still soft and smooth and not yet grown. "Just say it... please?"

His eyelashes feathered over her neck and the clear sound of tickled giggling, like fairy bells, rung out into the woods. She squirmed a bit, with a smile on her face and he heard her heart relax again.

"Onii-chan," she giggled, thinking nothing but how silly this grown up was.

Sou's chest tightened and tears nearly fell to the pure skin just below his mouth.

"Yuiren..." His voice trembled along with his body. "Don't worry sweetheart, it doesn't hurt at all."

She tilted her head in confusion, about to ask why he called her by an unfamiliar name, but a gasp escaped her parted lips instead. Sharp teeth broke her skin and a flood of memories of a family that wasn't hers filled her mind. Tears came to her wide eyes. She knew even without knowing what it meant, that she wasn't ever going to see her own father ever again. Then there was a pull as the blood in her veins changed direction and flowed out of her. Too young to associate it with anything but joy, she did and a small smile came to her lips even though tears still flowed.

Sou held her in his arms, tightly, never wanting to let her go. The pure white light that filled him put an end to the voices. Serene quiet swept him up, but all too soon it was gone, the light fading as the little girl's short life did. He cradled her, pulling away from the small neck, licking the wounds closed and whispering to her.

"Hush my girl," he rocked her and laid her down on the soft pine needles. "No one can ever hurt you ever again. You're safe. Sleep... forever."

The last word clung to his lips and made a smile start to curve, green eyes flashed in the midday sun.

With the feeling of overwhelming joy suddenly over, the little girl was left with just the sadness. With her last breath she turned pleading eyes up to her killer and asked a single question. "Why?"

Then her light was gone. Sou reached out with a sly smirk on his lips and slid her eyes shut.

"Because I could."

A dark laugh bubbled up to the surface, starting small and then rising and a single crow let out a caw like the knell of a funeral bell.

Saburo's call grated over the air to reach Miboshi's waiting ears. Sou had earned his place at her side. With a satisfied smirk, she slid her legs over the bed. Her bare feet touched the cold floor, and for a moment, she sat perfectly still as a wave of dizziness threatened to overtake her.

When it subsided, she brushed it off as nothing. Taking deep breaths, she closed her external eyes in favor of opening her inner world. Blooming like a black rose, the landscape of her subconscious had never been pleasant, but it was comfortable, and she descended the wrought-iron steps that would bring her from her conscious surface mind to the deeper levels where the phoenix god lay.

Bolts of electric blue zapped from black iron bar to bar. The god did not so much as raise his head when she approached, but she could feel his golden eyes on her.

"I have come for my wish, my pet."

Suzaku said nothing. Miboshi raised her arms as if making a royal decree.

"Take me to the world the Miko came from. Take me and all of my servants to Suzaku no Miko's Tokyo."

Suzaku's eyes flashed momentarily. This woman did not know what it was she asked of him, and it would be her downfall. Unable to force his way out, he would try a more subtle approach. Poison over swords. This mortal who kept him in a cage now would feel the full wrath of an enraged god... in time.

"Oh, you're waiting for your secret word? I can hear it echoing around this chamber. All right then, have it your way. Kai-jin!" Miboshi said.

Blue curls and patterns illuminated the insubstantial walls of her subspace, and Suzaku rose from his place upon the floor of his cage.

"As you wish," he said.

All was flooded with red light. Miboshi felt a floating sensation, as if she were flying up a red sunbeam, and then all was black.


	39. Chapter 38

_**Again...**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Tokyo

Red light surrounded Sou; light that a buried and locked away part of him was attuned to. It filled his vision and lifted him up with it. There was a momentary connection. He felt a wave of deep sorrow and loss, like something weeping at the base of his mind, and then everything was red light. When it cleared, he was laying on some kind of black smooth stone. Night had replaced the morning and the tree tops were gone.

A blaring noise snapped him fully aware. He felt a strong wind fly past him just to his right as some giant beast growled past.

Sou shot upright. "Ji-sama!" he called as he frantically looked around for her.

She was lying not more than ten feet from him, two crows hopped on thin legs around her body. There were large strange things moving past her at incredible speeds. They made a terrible noise as they rolled past.

He ran to her and knelt at her side, taking in the frightening surrounding with panicked eyes. There was another one of those loud goose-like noises. Sou looked up to see giant glowing eyes heading straight for them. Quickly, he gathered his mistress up in his arms and leaped out of the way.

He could feel the fierce wind the thing kicked up as his leg just barely missed colliding with it. It let out a curse and a scream as it flew past, the voice spitting out words he understood over the blaring honking. The crows fluttered up to a tall branch-less tree with thick webs of black hanging from them.

People were all around them. Most of them stopped and stared at the spectacle of the boy and girl in the road. Some shook their heads as if admonishing the young couple. A few stopped and asked if he was ok, but when they were met with a wild distrusting glare, they backed away.

"Ji-hime... Miboshi-sama!" Sou searched her face for a sign of her waking up.

Sou leaned down and listened for her breathing. It was even for the most part, if just a little strained, but he felt relief flood though him. Sou put a hand to her cheek. Her skin felt frantic with conflicting temperatures. Ice and fire ran swirls under the surface. He would have to find out where they were and how, but for now, they just needed shelter and a healer. Sou gathered her up. The battle of hot and cold in her made him shiver, but he held her tightly and walked to the nearest door.

Everything was bright and glowing. Signs hung over doorways in flashing red and yellow. All the rooms around him were lit with blue light. He walked up to the door and began to shift her in his arms so he could open it when it slid open on its own. He jumped back. This must be some kind of magic shop! Good. He would need someone like that to get his mistress back to the waking world. He stepped in.

There were so many people here, all wandering the little isles, all wearing odd-looking clothes. He was looking for a person that might serve as the healer when a group of girls walking by caught his attention. His eyes went wide as he watched them tittering about some joke. Brown skirts that were too short for anyone who wasn't a prostitute, white shirt, brown vest, brown jackets. He stared at them as they walked by. They wore his miko's, or rather, ex-miko's uniform. Sou looked up and around him as suddenly everything was fantastic. They had been brought to her world! He was really standing in another world. What did she call it? Tokyaku? Toki-yo? He couldn't remember, but this was it. A grin rose to his lips, the tips of his fangs bracketing the smirk.

"Can I help you?" an elderly voice called out to the bewildered man who had just stepped into his store. "You look like you need it."

Sou turned around and stared at the man. He was wearing white apron over pants he had seen Miaka's brother in and a white shirt. Topping his head was a ridiculous hat that seemed to be made out of paper. He was round along his midsection and looked as if he were a good forty years old.

Sou squinted at the man. "Are you the heale-" he suddenly realized he didn't know what healers were called in this world. "I mean, can you help heal her? I don't know what's wrong, she just fell over."

"Is she ok?" a girl wearing a concerned frown and the brown uniform moved around him to ask, dragging two friends behind her.

The man scooted out from behind the counter, wiping his meaty hands on the apron. "Could be anemia, or her blood sugar went low," he offered up as two more people crowded around the boy holding the sleeping girl in his arms.

"But can you heal her?" Sou asked again, a touch of frustration in his voice. He didn't need opinions or concerned bystanders and 'anemia' sounded like a terrible thing for someone to catch.

"Just put her down and I can call an ambulance," the apron-man instructed.

"I already did!" a boy shouted from behind the growing crowd.

Sou raised an eyebrow to the floor the man intended to lay her down on. It looked clean, but people were walking on it with outside shoes. He flicked his wary glance back to the shop keep.

"There's a room in the back that has a blanket. I'll grab it." The man took a look around and the scurried to the back. He was back in record timing for a man of his girth, worried about his store and the register.

He spread the blanket down and told the boy to lay the girl down. He glanced at both of their clothes. Strange. They looked like foreigners- he supposed they must be at least half for the boy to speak so fluently-, but were dressed in ancient Chinese garb. He shrugged; kids these days _did_ have strange fashion sense.

"What's going on? Is she ok?" Three more concerned Samaritans joined the gathering.

"Give them room people." The apron-man ordered the crowd away and looked to Sou. "You can grab some cookies off the shelf for her blood sugar when she wakes up, but get some orange juice for now." He gave him a bashful grin. "It's on me."

Sou looked at him confused. At first he said it was on the shelf, and then it was on him? He ran his eyes over the man's apron-clad figure. He didn't look like he had anything readily available.

"On you?"

Maybe the boy was not as fluent as he sounded. "Grab something off the shelf, and I'll pay for it."

Sou nodded and stood up, looking for whatever it was he was supposed to be looking for. He succeeded in becoming more and more confused and flustered. The shelves were full of wrapped up things of strange bright colors and there wasn't a fruit anywhere to be found. He panicked.

"Where's the juice? And what can I feed her off of here?" he asked with three packages, ironically two of which were cookies, waving in his hands.

The man pointed to the back fridge while he made a makeshift pillow out of the extra blanket. Sou followed, feeling a little like a lost sheep, which made him increasingly agitated. The back was full of glass doors behind which a plethora of containers in different colors and shapes were stacked in rows. Not many of them looked much like anything edible. There were labels on the containers, wild, bright, busy labels filled with drawings of strange-looking monkeys and people all smiling wide and happily drinking whatever it was inside. He browsed the labels. Many of them had symbols he couldn't read.

An orange bottle caught his eye. The words were something he couldn't make out, but the bottle's kanji claimed to be healthy and there was a picture of an orange fruit on it. He pulled open the door, snatching out the drink. Sou paused a moment. Inside the doors was cold. He stacked it in his mind as yet another thing he'd have to ask about, but ignored it and hurried back to his mistress.

"I found the orange juice," he proclaimed, displaying the bottle for confirmation.

The shop keep made a small wince at the price of the juice the stranger had grabbed, but opened it up and handed it back to the dark-haired half in front of him. He sure hoped the ambulance came quickly.

"Give it to her," he instructed, not about to get in any kind of lawsuit did it not work.

Sou took the bottle and looked at it as if it had (ha) fangs. He knew the best way to get someone to drink while they were out, but this was his mistress. One just doesn't kiss a goddess because some fat shop keep told them to. One the other hand, he had a responsibility to her. Sou needed to protect her and in this world, he was at a loss of what else to do.

Whispers and worried exchanges that never managed to quite register in his ears flooded the small convenience store.

Tasting it first would at least assure him these people were not trying to poison his princess. He tipped the bottle to his lips and swallowed a bit of the think orange liquid. He waited. It didn't taste exactly like the kind of juice he was used to getting from similar fruit, but he supposed it may not be exact. It didn't taste terrible and he didn't feel any immediate effects. The apron-man was glaring at him.

"Are you just pulling my leg? I didn't hand out freebies so you can quench your thirst boy."

Sou narrowed his eyes on the man as a few giggles and gasps issued from the peanut gallery. If he had to kill someone in this world he would keep this one in mind. He took one more draught into his mouth and held it there. Parting her lips with his fingers, he sealed his own over hers and fed her the liquid, messaging her tongue and throat to make her swallow.

Sou gave her the juice in small amounts, hoping beyond hope that her eyes would flutter open soon, then maybe he'd let the shop keeper live. She was still unmoving when a blaring noise, ten times louder than the screaming of the bird-beasts outside came closer. Sou stiffened and turned his head sharply to the glass door.

"Oh good! Here they are." The shop keeper breathed a sigh of relief along with most of the other stander-bys.

The wails were deafening. Blinding flashes of red and blue filled the store.

"What horror did you bring down on us?" Sou snarled, gathering his princess in his arms and backing away.

The sound of wailing sirens and the screech of tires spilled into the convenience store as patrons filed out to give the paramedics room to work. Slamming doors were muffled as the emergency crew rushed inside the small shop. "Where's the unconscious girl?" a young man asked, his white and blue uniform looked crisp, as though this were his first assignment.

One of the other paramedics shoved him aside and hurried to kneel beside the strangely dressed couple. "Sir, we need you to lay her down so that we can help her. Moving her more might cause her condition to worsen."

Another paramedic, an older female, smiled gently at the boy. "Sir, can you tell me if she's pregnant or has recently had any serious trauma. What happened to put her in this state?" She asked firmly, yet gently enough to not frighten him further as the smarter of the two behind her started touching Miboshi on her chin and wrists.

Sou darted his eyes back and forth between the three people all trying to talk to him at the same time, glaring when the two men laid hands on his mistress. There were numerous conversations going on amongst the onlookers and the lights. Although the wailing had silenced, the lights still made everything feel frightening and confused.

"I... I just," he couldn't possibly tell them the story. "She's not pregnant, no. I wasn't with her when it happened. She just collapsed and now her temperature is fluctuating."

That was the most of what he could say. She HAD suffered trauma, but he wasn't about to explain how.

The older woman waved to the other paramedics and eased out a hand towards the girl in his arms. "I see, yes, that is very odd."

"Can you take care of her? Will she be all right?"

"We need to give her an I.V. and get her to the hospital so that the doctors can take a look at her. Can you let these men help her onto a gurney so we can take her? You're her husband?" Looking at the girl's face and then the boy's she amended. "Her brother? Either of those and you can ride with us in the ambulance while we take care of her, but you have to let us help."

Sou nodded at her questions. In fact he just nodded at everything she said, including 'husband' and 'brother.' He reluctantly moved his hands from her and laid her on the ground and stepped away. They were going to let him ride with her in this 'ambulance' the people kept mentioning so he was ok with that.

The female paramedic opened a large black bag and dipped her hand inside while the two males left the store to get the gurney. Lifting out a needle and I.V. tubing, she attached it to a bag of saline and prepped the girl's arm.

Sou jumped at the sight of the needle. He wanted to smack it from the woman's hand and demand just how that was going to help, but he was familiar with acupuncture, and even if the needles now had tubes running out of them, they must still work the same. Right?

The woman eased the needle into the girl's vein and taped it down then helped the men carefully lift the girl over onto the collapsed gurney and raised it to full height.

"Sir, if you come with me, we'll get going," she said gently, hanging the bag on the end of a short post with curled, metal hooks. Closing up her bag, she lifted it and motioned him to follow. It had not escaped her notice that the siblings were startlingly beautiful, but that wasn't the point just now.

Sou calmed his instinct and followed, keeping a suspicious eye on the hanging bag filled with what looked like water.

Outside was a disaster. There was a giant thing on top of which swirled the red lights that were making his head spin. People were all around, craning their necks to see what the fuss was about. They laid her on some kind of bed on wheels and opened up doors in the back of what was, obviously now, not a creature.

Sou peered at the thing, studying it. It was painted red and white and it was huge. The surface felt like blade steel, smooth and cold.

After loading the gurney into the back of the ambulance, the female paramedic touched the boy's shoulder and motioned Sou around to get in through the back doors. "We ask that you be calm while we work. We're going to try and get her temperature straightened out."

Turning back to the girl on the gurney, the woman set about checking her vitals and setting blue fuzzy pads along her chest. Sou took a seat in the strangest of places he had ever been. The inside of this thing was metal, but it was covered with glass and needles under glass pointing to symbols he didn't understand. There were tubes and gear hanging from the ceiling and large metallic canisters with a sort of amazing flexible glass. The doors were slammed shut and the wailing began again. Then he felt them take off, much like a horse-drawn cart.

The thing was blaring all the way until they stopped and the men and women in uniforms flung open the door, hurrying around to get the bed on wheels out of the doors. Sou couldn't help no matter how much he wanted to. Not only did he not know medicine, he didn't have the first idea what all the gauges and needles and beeping were for. They wheeled her away and slapped a clipboard into his hands.

"Where are you taking her?"

"She has to go to the emergency unit; it's where everyone who arrives in an ambulance is taken," they calmly explained as one of the men put a hand on Sou's shoulder and kept him from following after her.

"But I need to be with her!" he cried, getting a little more frustrated at the touch.

"Sir, she'll be fine in our care. We need you to fill out the paper work. You'll be able to see her when she's stable again."

They set him down in a hard, brightly colored chair under sickeningly blue lights in a room full of chairs and people holding various parts of their bodies in either pain or boredom. Tamahome stared at the paper he had been given and looked at the stick they placed in his hand. Though everyone seemed to be speaking Chinese, the kanji looked different. He could get the general gist of the questions, but panic was blooming in his heart again. If he was supposed to pretend like he was from this world, then he needed to know the written language better. For now though, he needed to calm down. They had special machines here and should be able to help Ji-sama out.

He decided to try and answer the questions as best he could, but that posed a new problem. First, and less pressing, they hadn't given him any ink to write with and second, they didn't have real lives in this world. It asked for addresses, ages, and a flurry of other questions he either didn't understand or couldn't answer. Sou got up and approached a bored-looking woman behind a counter.

"Excuse me, do you have any ink?"

She looked at him from behind glass that she wore over her eyes. "Is the pen out?"

Sou decided that yes was the right answer to that. "Yes, the pen is out."

The woman opened a drawer, sighing as if he had made her do something strenuous, and pulled out another white stick and handed it to him. He looked at it for a moment more, and then peered around the desk to see if she might have a well by her station. What he saw was astounding. There was a little box that had small people in it behind glass. He couldn't help it. He was gawking.

"Can I help you sir?" she gave him an angry glare as she tore her eyes away from the tiny entertainers.

"I... no, no." He forced himself to look away. These things were obviously common in their world and he shouldn't be staring.

Giving up on asking for ink- they apparently didn't understand that- he tried putting the 'pen' to the paper. Like magic, the ink flowed from it. When he plucked it up it didn't drip and when he put it to paper again, it came out. Smooth blue. He was amazed, but hid it from the woman. At least that was one problem solved.

He filled out her name and his name, filled out his and her age as best he knew, and filled in her gender (as far as he knew). That was as far as he could get. He didn't have an address, didn't have a legitimate birth year and didn't even know what year he was in so he could count back. The next line asked for medical... curvy line, line… short line, long line... angle, dash, ...squiggle, dot... What the hell was that? Those weren't even kanji!

He leaned over the desk again.

"What does this mean?" he asked, pointing to the lines.

"Insurance. Just fill in the patient's carrier if they have one and the number on their card. Unless..." she looked at him, eying his facial features suspiciously, "…you don't have additional insurance."

"I don't and neither does she," he said with a sneer, "The ambulance carried her here and before that, it was me. I didn't receive a card though."

The woman gave him a sympathetic look and motioned for him to give her the papers. She adjusted the glass on her face and looked at the information he already filled in.

"Oh my dear. You don't read Japanese very well, do you?" She looked him over. "Where are you from?" She would have gotten him a translator if he was English, but the kanji were too perfect for him to be a western foreigner. He was writing in Chinese, and that, unfortunately, they didn't have a translator for.

Japanese. Ok, at least he knew what language it was he wasn't reading. He'd have to take a chance on his origin though. "China."

"Ah! That makes more sense, about the writing anyway. I'll fill this out for you, if you just tell me the answers." She clicked her own pen and got ready to be dictated to.

"This one was looking for the patient's name, hun. What is it?"

"Zhou Ji," he answered simply.

"Age?"

"Sixteen."

"Insurance, none, never mind," she muttered to herself as she looked through the little section and checked off boxes with her magic 'pen'. "National insurance doesn't cover... so... Ok and... Where should we send the bill if required? Or will you be paying today?"

"Bill?" He had to think about that one, then he connected the dots. "Oh, I can pay for it myself."

"Ok, well then, we'll put her in a shared room. Unless you have enough money to pay for the private one, that's up to you."

His princess deserved a private room. "How much would that be?"

"About four thousand a day for a semi private room, seventy four hundred for a fully private one."

"Seventy four HUNDRED gold?"

"Gold? No, no, yen. I don't know the exchange rate for yuan. About seven thousand three hundred yen. You do have Japanese currency, right?

The woman was speaking in Chinese she claimed to be called Japanese but she might as well have been speaking a foreign tongue. Sou shook his head.

"I…"

"Sou. We heard and came as soon as we could."

A woman with long dark hair, almost Ji's length and looking surprisingly like her, came running up to where he stood.

"We heard about your sister's incident and came running." The tall male with equally stark raven hair, wearing a gray business suit, added. "We'll take care of the paperwork, Sou. It's your job to take care of Ji."

Sou was thoroughly confused, but not upset to have someone handling this paper work with all of its trick questions. He had even felt the presence of the two who had come and it wasn't unfamiliar. Sou watched their backs as they wrote. The woman turned and gave him a sly smile and at the same time, words formed in his head.

_We're Miboshi-sama's servants. We'll take care of the details of living in this world. You need to keep her safe._

Sou heard the words and smiled. Miboshi had brought other friends along to help. That was comforting. He took a seat in the hard orange chair again and waited for the healers to let him see her again.

The two 'parents' left as quickly as they had come as soon as the paper work was complete and the room bill straightened out. They said their goodbyes and left with a very clear message in his head. _DON'T let her be harmed!_ As if he needed her servants to tell **him** to keep her safe.

Hours passed and Sou became more and more frustrated. The frustration bloomed out of the confusion and the feeling of being utterly lost and helpless. It was something he would attest to the weaker side of him, the dead side of him, so he embraced the frustration and had molded it to indignant anger by the time a tired-looking man in a white coat came up to him and gave him permission to see her. Ha! Permission. As if anyone in this entire building could bar him from seeing her if he wished it. He played their game only out of necessity.

He had explained that his mistress was in 'stable' condition. They had gotten her temperature to regulate and her 'vitals' were looking strong. Sou had to admit he didn't like the sound of these people 'checking out her vitals' but again, he was charged with keeping her safe and it seemed that this place was his only hope.

"Now that she's stable, is it safe to take her home?" he asked the man, trying not to reveal how lost he was.

The man in the white coat placed his hand on Sou's shoulder and led him away from her bed. Ji-hime was lying down, her beautiful hair splayed out like a waterfall down the edges of the pillows. There were strange colored threads and smooth twine hanging off and into her, but those things aside, she looked peaceful.

"I'd much rather she stays here overnight so we can observe her and make sure she's ok. She still hasn't woken up yet, and I would like to keep her here until she does." The doctor spoke in a low, intense whisper that went eerily well with the soft beeps and clicks of the room.

Sou narrowed his eyes and looked down at the man. "I'd rather her not stay here as long as she's better." He saw the look that ran across the man's eyes and something dawned on him. "We don't have insurance and not enough money to keep her here for much longer." Sou said, playing off an idea in his head and his old life's experience with poverty to hopefully convince the man to change his mind.

The doctor shook his head. "I can't let her out of here until she's woken up. There could be complications we haven't foreseen and until she's opened her eyes I can't, with good mind, let her leave here."

Sou's mouth sneered into a frown as his plan failed, but he still didn't know enough about this world to argue any further.

"I understand, but I need to be with her until she does," he explained, casting a glance over the man's shoulder to the sleeping princess in her strange bed.

"You can stay," he said with a sympathetic nod. Sou hated sympathy. There was a pause as he seemed to consider something. "If she wakes up before tomorrow, I'll let you bring her home, how's that? I won't charge you for the night's stay."

The man was smiling, and Sou was thanking him. Soon he was left alone with his princess. He walked to the side of her bed and placed the back of his hand to her head. There was no longer the feeling of battling temperatures, but he didn't like the quiet chill that was in her skin. Sou's eyes tilted in worry and he scanned the length of her body for something he could do to make her more comfortable. There were strips of linen covering the metal edge of a tube that ran from her wrist to a hanging bag and a clear thing stuck to her chest that seemed to be making a beeping noise in time with a strange green light in a box. Odd metal boxes surrounded her bed. Some had patterns on them, some had lights, some made noise, and none looked all that comfortable.

Sou took her hand in his. The slender fingers were limp, but pulsing with life. He bent his lips to her skin and kissed the tips of each. Sitting down in another one of those hard, orange chairs, he swept a hand over her forehead, to get the edges of her bangs out of her eyes. Lovingly, he tucked them behind her ears and ran his fingers through the silky strands that flowed over the pillow. His eyes, betraying and terrible things, settled at the smooth skin that covered the lightly pulsing vein at the place where her neck gracefully curved into her shoulders. He quickly closed his eyes and waited for those thoughts to subside. Never, **never**, would he penetrate that flawless skin against his mistress's will, even if the thought of it made his own blood rush.

Sou clenched his teeth and let the cramping pain of his jaw be a lesson for thinking such impure thoughts.

"My Princess," he whispered softly into her ear, leaning in close so that only she could hear him, "You've made it to this fantastic world."

Sou smoothed a hand over her cheek and couldn't help himself from shifting his gaze to the jeweled lips that were softly breathing in whatever dreams she was seeing.

"Come back and rule it," he breathed out over sweet lips before pressing his own to hers.

The kiss broke to fluttering lashes that, in turn, made his heart to flutter. Delicate lids lifted and closed over dreamy but strikingly beautiful eyes.

Sou backed away instantly, getting down to one knee and bowing his head. "Miboshi-sama."

He could barely keep the excitement out of his voice and the smile, bracketed with the fangs she had bestowed upon him, couldn't be kept from his lips.


	40. Chapter 39

_**Again...**__  
A story will be retold once more.  
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.  
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.  
_  
_Come and see what could have been._

Meanwhile…

Yui had been a little worried about going directly to the bandit's hideout. Sure, she'd wanted to find Miaka so that they could return home, but these men were risking their lives to find her loved ones. She would have to find a way to repay their kindness.

Zhi had been wrong when he'd said that it was going to take them until noon the next day to get there. During a thunderstorm earlier that month one of the roads had been closed, so it actually took two days to travel while asking locals for guidance.

After stopping for a quick water break, Fu had come back with news that it would be less than an hour to their location. That was when Zhi decided to call a meeting to discuss the appropriate course of action. For all they knew, Miaka could still be there.

Kutouku sighed, looking over his riding mate's shoulder to see what this meeting was going to be about. He thought they were going to Mt. Kahou to interrogate the bandits as to the whereabouts of Lady Yui's friend, but with the attack a few days ago he wasn't so sure.

He admitted, if only to himself, that the idea of waltzing into a bandit lair and demanding information was far from his list of 'things to do before I die'. But, Shun-chan wanted to go for Lady Yui's sake and he would never willingly leave his brother in a situation that could cause him harm. Going into a bandit stronghold was not the safest idea.

"How do you propose we get these bandits to tell us anything, Zhi? Do we have money to bribe them with? I doubt a band of six -including Lady Yui- would be able to make them tell us with brute force. Shun-chan, may I speak with you for a few moments?"

It secretly pleased Shunkaku that Zhi had cost them an extra couple of days because he hadn't checked out the route beforehand. Sure, it was irritating that they had to waste their time going the long way around, but it would just make him seem all the less competent to Yui-san.

When they called the meeting to discuss tactics, and Kutouku poked holes in the only plan Shunkaku assumed they had, he was perplexed. How were they supposed to do this if they weren't just going to go in there and threaten people? With himself and aniki along, they couldn't fail. He was about to say as much when he was asked to speak privately. He tilted his head to the side.

"Sure, aniki. Right now?"

Zhi helped Yui down from the horse and asked her to take her stallion to the little stream to drink the water. Fu had already taken the other horses and was making his way back. He gave a nod to his sergeant as he joined the other soldiers.

Yui lead the mighty steed to the stream and stayed in viewing distance. She noticed the twins walk off a little out of ear distance from everyone. She wouldn't blame them if they refused to be a part of this detour mission. No one seemed to think that Miaka would even be here. They were all going on the vague notion she was still being held captive. Her sad eyes turned to see the mountain in the distance. Quietly she whispered a prayer.

"Please, let Miaka be okay."

The leaves rustled softly as a gentle breeze blew Yui's golden hair. She smiled at the sky, taking it to be a sign that her prayers were heard. She was entirely unaware of a rather large group of bandits encircling the camp.

The bandits took note of the people present: a small group of men and a girl. One of the bandits smiled and whispered, "Looks like we got a pretty one, boys. Capture the girl and try not to harm her. We can sell her or give her to the boss. With the rest, it doesn't matter what happens to them, as long as we have the girl. As for the horses, try not to injure too many because we may use them later."

Another bandit nodded, "I'll take care of the girl." He silently and swiftly moved to a tree near the stream where the girl was with her horse. With practiced movements, he moved behind the girl and clamped his left hand over her mouth, simultaneously unsheathing a knife with his right hand and pressing it against her throat. "Struggle or make any noise and you will find your throat slit."

Yui nodded, terrified that she could be attacked so close to her protectors. The smelly man took his left hand off her mouth and moved it down to her waist to hold waist securely, groping her a little on the way down. "You have a nice body. The boss may want to keep you after all," he whispered in her ear.

As soon as the girl was secured the smelly man gave a signal to his hidden friends. The rest of the bandits moved in to attack the men from their hiding places.

***

Nakago drew near to the Kutou border when he noticed a familiar bird in the sky flying in the direction of Eiyou. He quickly recognized it as a messenger bird from one of his soldiers and gave out a long shrill whistle. The bird changed its course and descended, landing on Nakago's outstretched arm as his horse slowed to a stop. He removed the small container from its leg and sent the bird back to Kutou.

Nakago opened the container and unfolded the message. "Party move to Kahou to interrogate bandits about Lady's friend." He crumpled up the message in anger. _Zhi, you idiot. You put Lady Yui's life in unnecessary danger_, he thought as he spurred his horse towards Kahou.

Kutouku put an arm over his brother's shoulders and leaned his head against Shun's, "You and I have the ability to defend against a large group, but not an entire mountain's worth of bandits. The guards and Yui-san would be safe from my music, but it would only affect the bandits closest to us. That would give them time and proximity to Yui. Much as I feel odd around her, I don't wish to see her hurt. We need an alternate plan."

The words had no sooner left his mouth than an arrow of fear- much like the ones he'd get from his brother, but it wasn't the same- shot through his head. Looking over his shoulder, he felt his stomach drop.

He could see Lady Yui in the distance, being held at knife point in the arms of a scraggly bandit. He cast a meaningful glance at his brother as he lifted his flute from his shirt and began to play a haunting tune. He fed the music with his ki, sending it out over the group of bandits who gasped and clutched their heads in an effort to stop the painful swelling of their brains in suddenly too tight skulls.

Nakago felt a rise in ki in the direction he was heading and he spurred his horse even faster as he recognized the ki as the one belonging to one of the twins. He had suspected one or both of the twins were Seiryuu warriors, and this confirmed his suspicions. It might take him half a day to reach Kahou from where he was at, and Nakago did not plan to let bandits overrun his fellow warriors. He dug into his ki reserves and let it flow to the horse. It was a bit difficult to mold his ki with the animal, and it would do the animal some damage, but it was important to get to Kahou as soon as possible. It would still take an hour or so.

***

A bandit fell from his position on the tree branch when the music began to play. Pain shot through him, but he was aware enough to call for help. "It's... that flute... get backup!" He called to the bandits furthest back, hoping that they may not be suffering. Thankfully, they retreated to get backup.

The bandit holding Yui laughed as he saw the boy pull out the flute. "What is your friend going to do? Play us a little song?" The smirk on his face was soon replaced with a grimace as he felt a sharp pain in his head. "What are you doing? Stop before I kill this girl," he managed to croak out, holding Yui ever tighter.

Shun whipped around to see hairy arms belonging to a filthy bandit gripping his Yui-san. All sense of reason left him and his ryuseisui rose up from behind him like a viper.

"Let her go!" he cried as he ran towards the man, his brother at his side.

"Shun-san!" Yui shrieked.

"Yui-san!" he yelled as he ran to her side.

His ryuseisui slithered through the grass and tied itself around the man who had threatened her. It constricted him within its thin ropes, and one of the two spinning tops screeched threateningly near his head. The top's twin was floating in midair upon its untangled length of rope, daring anyone else to come near.

The bandit holding Yui could neither stand the pain from the music nor the pain from the ropes. Darkness crept from the edge of his vision and soon overtook him completely as he fell limp, either unconscious or dead, releasing Yui.

Nakago arrived at the foot of Mt. Kahou. He sensed fighting nearby, and assumed it was where Lady Yui's party was. However, he also sensed movement a mile away from the fighting, as if a large group was heading towards the lady and her protectors. Nakago growled softly to himself. _Zhi, you idiot, how can you let a bandit escape to get reinforcements?_ As he neared the fight, he heard ki-enhanced flute music and his head began to ache. He redirected some of his own ki to his ears to block out the flute sound. _My suspicions were correct, the twins are Seiryuu Celestials._

Nakago finally arrived at the scene just as the bandit closest to Lady Yui passed out. He rushed to her side, using his ki to throw aside any bandit in the way.

Zhi, who had just finished off a bandit himself, became aware of Nakago's arrival. "Lord Nakago! We were ambushed."

"I see the obvious, Zhi. When we get out of this predicament, you and I have to discuss your qualifications as a soldier and strategist," Nakago replied coldly as formed a shield around himself, Yui, and the twins who happened to also be by her side.

"Lady Yui, how are you feeling?" Nakago asked softly.

"I'm okay." She said touched her neck where the blade had been pressed and then brought her hand away to see her own blood smeared on finger tips. "It seems to be my week of bad luck." She looked around and saw everyone fighting. New tears started to form in her eyes. She just wanted to stop all the fighting! She wanted everyone to be all right. Most importantly, she wanted to find her friends and go home. Her eyes closed again, a slow blue light forming around her body.

Nakago felt power rush through his body when Lady Yui started to glow blue. His celestial symbol on his forehead burned so much it made his head slightly dizzy. _Lady Yui is definitely the Priestess of Seiryuu._

"Lady Yui, I'm sorry I did not arrive sooner," Nakago bowed before her. "Do not leave our country now! Without you we can never achieve peace!"

Yui's eyes opened and the light faded. She didn't speak a word but nodded silently. The burst of power had weakened her and she stumbled, grabbing onto Nakago to hold herself up.

"Furthermore, your friend is not being held here. I have information for you regarding her whereabouts and we've a plan in motion to bring her back to our palace so that you both might be reunited. Quickly, we must get you back to the palace."

Before she could protest he pulled her up onto his horse.

"Zhi, you and your men will hold back the bandits while the brothers and I escape with Lady Yui. You may follow us only when the bandits are dead."

Zhi grimaced, but nodded, shouting out his battle cry to the men to continue the fight.

Shunkaku grabbed his brother's hand to help him onto their horse. "I agree. We've got to get out of here."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Kutouku joined him and the group of four retreated from the mountain side, heading back towards the country of Kutou, joined together as warriors of Seiryuu.


End file.
